ADDRESSES 


AT  THE 

LESSEPS  BANQUET, 


GIVEN  AT  DELMONICO’S, 


MARCH  i,  1880. 


NEW  YORK  : 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 

1,  3,  and  5  BOND  STREET. 

1  880. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 

a 


https://archive.org/details/addressesatdelesOOyapa 


ADDRESSES 


AT  THE 

LESSEPS  BANQUET, 


GIVEN  AT  DELMONICO’S, 


MARCH  1,  1880. 


NEW  YORK: 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 

1,  3,  and  5  BOND  STREET. 

1  880. 


2- "2 


PREFACE. 


A  large  number  of  the  leading  merchants,  professional 
men,  and  prominent  citizens  of  New  York,  desirous  of  doing 
honor  to  the  genius  of  Count  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps,  both  for 
the  great  work  which  he  has  accomplished,  and  also  for  that 
which,  late  in  life,  he  has  so  intrepidly  undertaken,  united  in 
extending  to  him  a  cordial  invitation  to  a  public  banquet,  on 
his  arrival  from  Panama.  The  invitation  being  accepted,  it 
was  arranged  that  the  dinner  should  take  place  on  March  1st, 
at  Delmonieo’s. 

The  Committee  of  Arrangements  consisted  of  Messrs.  Alger¬ 
non  S.  Sullivan,  Alexander  S.  Holley,  Abram  S.  Hewitt,  George 
W.  Carleton,  and  John  Bogart,  and,  under  the  admirable  man¬ 
agement  of  these  gentlemen,  the  banquet  was  in  all  respects  a 
brilliant  success. 

The  dining-room  was  superbly  decorated.  The  walls  were 
decked  with  the  flags  of  various  countries — the  United  States, 
France,  Colombia,  Peru,  Bolivia,  and  other  South  and  Central 
American  states.  There  was  a  profusion  of  flowers  tastefully 
displayed,  and  the  tables  were  ornamented  with  numerous 
artistic  devices,  representing  prominent  incidents  in  the  career 
of  the  distinguished  gentleman  to  whose  character  and  enter¬ 
prise  the  occasion  was  made  a  cordial  tribute. 

The  Bev.  Dr.  Bichard  S.  Storrs  presided,  and,  when  justice 
had  been  done  to  the  sumptuous  dinner,  he  opened  the  speaking 
by  an  eloquent,  appropriate,  and  instructive  address.  He  was 


o  ooxc 


4 


PREFACE. 


followed  by  other  gentlemen,  whose  remarks  were  characterized 
by  thorough  appreciation  of  the  great  interests  represented  by 
the  illustrious  guest,  and  the  most  cordial  admiration  of  that 
force  of  character  which  he  has  directed  to  large  and  noble 
purposes. 

Whatever  may  be  the  result  of  M.  de  Lesseps’s  efforts  to 
carry  out  a  grand  work  in  the  interests  of  civilization,  wThich  all 
maritime  nations  for  three  centuries  have  regarded  as  in  the 
highest  degree  desirable,  one  thing  is  certain,  his  visit  to  this 
country  for  its  promotion  will  be  a  memorable  event  in  the 
history  of  the  enterprise.  It  seems,  therefore,  appropriate  that 
some  record  should  be  preserved  of  those  interesting  and  sig¬ 
nificant  expressions  with  which  M.  de  Lesseps  was  welcomed  at 
the  Hew  York  banquet.  The  newspaper  reports  being  imper¬ 
fect,  nearly  all  the  addresses  herewith  published  have  been  care¬ 
fully  revised  by  their  authors. 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


INVITATION  TO  COUNT  DE  LESSEPS. 


New  York,  December  27,  1879. 

To  M.  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps  : 

Sir  :  We  learn  with  profound  pleasure  that  you  will  soon 
visit  this  city. 

The  eminent  distinction  awarded  to  you  by  your  profession 
throughout  the  world,  the  important  service  your  engineering 
and  executive  ability  has  rendered  to  universal  commerce  and 
civilization,  in  the  inception  and  completion  of  the  Suez  Canal, 
your  conspicuous  enterprise  in  a  work  not  less  important  to 
America  and  to  the  world — the  construction  of  an  American 
interoceanic  canal — these  combine  in  prompting  us  to  offer  to 
you  personally  an  honorable  tribute  and  a  cordial  welcome. 

But  we  also,  as  American  citizens,  avail  ourselves  of  this 
occasion  to  acknowledge  that  genius  and  that  scientific  progress 
of  France  which  are  alike  honorable  to  your  country  and  benefi¬ 
cent  to  humanity. 

We  have  the  honor  to  request  that,  at  a  day  to  be  named, 
soon  after  your  arrival,  you  will,  with  other  guests,  meet  us  at 
a  public  dinner,  when  we  can  assure  you  of  our  high  personal 
esteem,  and  of  our  cordial  friendship  for  your  beloved  country. 


6 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


We  have  the  honor  to  subscribe  ourselves,  respectfully  and 


sincerely, 


Your  friends  and  obedient  servants, 


W.  H.  Appleton, 

Heney  H.  Anderson, 
John  T.  Agnew, 

D.  F.  Appleton, 

H.  E.  Alexandee, 
Edward  D.  Adams, 
Miguel  de  Aldama, 

W.  W.  Appleton, 
Samuel  D.  Babcock, 

S.  L.  M.  Baelow, 

F.  A.  P.  Barnard, 

John  R.  Beady, 

Geoege  0.  Baeeett, 
Heney  W.  Bellows, 
John  Bogaet, 

Foedyce  Baekee, 
Heney  Waed  Beechee, 
Oyeus  Butlee, 

E.  T.  Bell, 

G.  S.  Bedfokd, 

Isaac  Bailey, 

Julius  Bien, 

Jas.  A.  Bueden, 

John  M.  Bueke, 

Albeet  Bieestadt, 

M.  H.  Bloodgood, 

E.  A.  Buck, 

J.  Townsend  Bueden, 
Feedeeick  Billings, 
Goedon  W.  Buenham, 

N.  M.  Beckwith, 
Jackson  Bailey, 

Louis  de  Bebian, 

W.  R.  Bunkee, 

B.  F.  Beistow, 

Petee  Coopee, 

William  A.  Cole, 
Howaed  Ceosby, 

D.  C.  Calvin, 

Octave  Chaunte, 
Eeastus  Coening, 


Le  Geand  B.  Cannon, 
Chaeles  F.  Chandlee, 

F.  E.  Chuech, 

W.  C.  Chuech, 

L.  B.  De  Cesnola, 

S.  S.  CONANT, 

Elie  Chaeliee, 

James  H.  Choate, 
James  R.  Ceoes, 

S.  Wilkins  Ceagg, 

G.  W.  Cableton, 
Andeew  Caenegie, 

W.  E.  Cuetis, 

Eckley  B.  Coye, 
Chaeles  H.  Ceamp, 
Melvin  M.  Cohen, 
Oeestes  Cleveland, 
Maetin  Coeyell, 

D  G.  Ceolly, 

F.  CoLLINGWOOD, 

W.  B.  COGGSWELL, 
Noah  Davis, 

Eugene  Dutille, 

C.  Donohue, 

Thomas  Dickson, 

John  F.  Dillon, 

W.  B.  Dinsmoee, 

W.  E.  Dodge, 

Geoege  W.  Deessee, 
W.  E.  Dodge,  Jr., 

W.  Butlee  Duncan, 

W.  C.  Deeyee, 

Y.  Dabney, 

Z.  C.  Deas, 

Thomas  M.  Deown, 

E.  B.  Dobsey, 
Chaunoey  M.  Depew, 
Edwaed  A.  Dickerson, 
Thomas  Egleston, 
Isaac  W.  England, 

W.  J.  Emmet, 


Walton  W.  Evans, 
John  Eldeekin, 

John  H.  Flagler, 

M.  N.  Forney, 

Albert  Fink, 

Emerson  Foote, 

David  Dudley  Field, 
Austin  Flint,  Jr., 
George  H.  Frost, 
David  C.  Ferris, 
Charles  G.  Franklyn, 
Gen.  Clinton  B.  Fiske, 
W.  H.  Guion, 

Chas.  R.  Graham, 
Chester  Griswold, 

Q.  A.  Gillmore, 

Geo.  S.  Greene,  Jr., 
Sanford  R.  Gifford, 
Franklin  B.  Gowen, 
John  H.  Gafney, 

F.  G.  Gedney, 

William  G.  Hunt, 
Heney  Hilton, 

Abram  S.  Hewitt, 
Alex.  L.  Holley, 

John  Hoey, 

Hugh  J.  Hastings, 

F.  W.  J.  Hurst, 

W.  G.  Hamilton, 

D.  Huntington, 

Rufus  Hatch, 

Henry  L.  Hoguet, 

J.  B.  Houston, 

Samuel  A.  Haines, 
Samuel  E.  Hiscox, 

Jos.  W.  Harper,  Jr., 

H.  L.  Horton, 

T.  Sterry  Hunt, 

Geo.  A.  Hoyt, 

Henry  Havemeyer, 
Robt.  J.  Hoguet, 


INVITATION  TO  COUNT  DE  LESSEPS. 


Bratton  Iyes, 

Charles  H.  Isham, 
Morris  K.  Jesup, 
George  Jones, 

John  Jay, 

H.  G.  Jewett, 

Thos.  L.  James, 

John  P.  Jones, 

McK.  W.  Jones, 

E.  S.  Jaffay, 

Frederick  M.  Kelley, 
Wm.  M.  Kingsland, 
John  S.  Kennedy, 
Eugene  Kelly, 
Sigismund  Kaufman, 
Clarence  King, 
Johannes  Koop, 
Ambrose  Kingsland, 
Thos.  C.  Keefer, 

W.  C.  Kingsley, 
Walter  Katti, 

A.  A.  Low; 

Chas.  Lanier, 

L.  M.  Lawson, 

A.  R.  Lawrence, 

Col.  E.  P.  C.  Lewis, 

E.  Lauterbach, 

E.  G.  Lincoln, 

Chas.  C.  Long, 

W.  B.  Leonard, 

Chas.  F.  Livermore, 

J.  S.  Loubat, 

G.  W.  Lespinasse, 
Charlton  T.  Lewis, 

R.  N.  Lamborn, 

L.  G.  Laureau, 

Morgan  J.  Pierpont, 
Hugh  McCulloch, 

E.  A.  Merritt, 

Chas.  Macdonald, 
Chas.  H.  Marshall, 

Dr.  Henry  Morton, 
Geo.  S.  Morrison, 

Hon.  Henry  C.  Murphy, 
John  McGinnis,  Jr., 
John  G.  McCullough, 
Chas.  Munzinger, 


Geo.  W.  Maynard, 

Hon.  A.  T.  McGill, 
Samuel  Marsh, 

A.  B.  Miller, 

C.  A.  Marvin, 

Isaac  Newton, 

F.  O.  Norton, 

Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry* 
Jas.  G.  O’Donohue, 

Dr.  Fessenden  N.  Otis, 
Joseph  Ogden, 

Geo.  H.  Potts,. 

B.  Perkins, 

F.  A.  Potts, 

S.  Irenjsus  Prime, 

W.  H.  C.  Price, 

Trenor  W.  Park, 

Dr.  Henry  C.  Potter, 
Raphael  Pumpelly, 
John  K.  Porter, 
Arthur  J.  Peabody, 
Geo.  A.  Peters, 
Wheeler  H.  Peckham, 
William  M.  Polk, 
Thos.  Patten, 

H.  H.  Porter, 

A.  W.  Perry, 

Geo.  W.  Quintard, 
Edmund  D.  Randolph, 
Geo.  H.  Robinson, 

R.  W.  Raymond, 

John  Riley, 

Horace  Russell, 
Henry  Remsen, 
Gustave  Raymond, 
Chas.  Renauld, 

R.  G.  Rolston, 
Monoure  Robinson, 
Albert  H.  Reittinger, 
Russel  Sage, 

V.  K.  Stevenson, 

A.  S.  Sullivan, 

Dr.  Noah  H.  Schenck, 
Dr.  RicnARD  S.  Stores, 
David  M.  Stone, 

J.  J.  Slocum, 

Francis  A.  Stout, 


7 

Jacob  Stout, 

0.  Spannochia, 

Lewis  A.  Sayre, 

James  C.  Spencer, 

Thos.  A.  Scott, 

Wm.  Sellers, 

F.  G.  Salmon, 

Geo.  E.  Simpson, 

E.  A.  Seccomb, 

C.  Stewart  Schenck, 

C.  A.  Sweet, 

Jesse  Seligman, 

Allan  Stirling, 

John  Stevens, 

Prof.  Benj.  Silliman, 

A.  W.  Speir, 

G.  M.  Slade, 

L.  Turnure, 

Stevenson  Towle, 

John  P.  Townsend, 

W.  H.  Tillinghast, 
Samuel  C.  Thompson, 
Frank  Thomson, 
Douglas  Taylor, 
Frederick  Taylor, 

T.  Thoron, 

Hooper  C.  Van  Vorst, 

C.  H.  Van  Brunt, 

D.  Van  Nostrand, 

A.  J.  Vanderpoel, 

J.  Van  Sohaick, 

Marvin  R.  Vincent, 

S.  V.  White, 

Jas.  F.  Wenman, 

Wm.  E.  Worthen, 

H.  R.  Worthington, 
Sidney  Webster, 

S.  A.  Walker, 

S.  H.  Wales, 

Samuel  Ward, 

Geo.  Wilson, 

E.  Winslow, 

W.  H.  Whitney, 

D.  Williams, 

F.  S.  Winston, 

Jos.  M.  Wilson, 

E.  L.  Youmans. 


NAMES  OF  INVITED  GUESTS, 


Don  Justo  Arosemena, 

Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  Colombia. 

Hon.  Don  J.  Carlo  Tract, 

Charge  d?  Affaires  of  Peru. 

Don  F.  S.  Asta  Bubuaga, 

Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  Chili. 

Don  Vicente  Dardon, 

Minister  of  Guatemala  and  Salvador. 

Don  Manuel  M.  de  Zamacona, 

Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  Mexico. 

Don  Simon  Camacho, 

Appointed  Minister  of  Venezuela. 

Salvador  de  Mendonca, 

Brazilian  Consul-  General. 

Hon.  W.  M.  Evarts. 

Maj.-Gen.  W.  S.  Hancock. 

Maj.-Gen.  J.  M.  Schofield. 
Commodore  Nicholson. 

M.  Max  Outrey, 

Minister from  France  to  the  United  States. 

M.  Edmond  Breuil, 

French  Consul-General. 

Hon.  Edward  Cooper. 

Admiral  Daniel  Ammen. 

Gov.  A.  B.  Cornell. 

Horatio  Allen. 

Hon.  C.  P.  Daly. 


President  Noah  Porter, 

Yale  College. 

President  James  McCosh, 

Princeton  College. 

Walter  MoMichael, 

Editor  Philadelphia  North  American. 
George  W.  Childs, 

Editor  Philadelphia  Ledger. 

Hon.  Ernest  Dichman, 
f  United  States  Minister  to  Colombia. 
Miguel  Salgar, 

Consul  of  Colombia. 

C.  A.  Dana. 

E.  M.  Archibald, 

Consul-General  of  Great  Britain. 
Thomas  A.  Edison. 

Gov.  George  B.  McClellan. 

Lieut.  L.  N.  B.  Wyse. 

Hon.  J.  Dirks. 

Gen.  W.  W.  Wright. 

M.  Butan. 

M.  Bionne. 

M.  Dauzats. 

M.  Dauprat. 

M.  Gallay. 

M.  CoNVREAUX. 

J.  W.  SlMONTON. 

Nathan  Appleton. 


ADDRESSES. 


OPENING  ADDRESS  BY  REY.  DR.  STORRS. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs,  the  chairman  of  the  meet¬ 
ing,  was  greeted  with  hearty  applause  as  he  arose  to  open  the 
intellectual  repast,  which  was  no  less  notable  than  the  repast  of 
the  senses  which  had  preceded  it.  He  began  his  remarks  with 
a  reference  to  the  presence  of  Mine,  de  Lesseps  and  some  other 
ladies,  who  had  just  come  into  the  dining-hall,  saying :  “  Gen¬ 
tlemen  : — and  since  our  eyes  have  rejoiced  to  see  these  more 
ethereal  figures  that  have  come  to  grace  our  assembly — I  ven¬ 
ture  to  say,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

We  have  gladly  assembled  this  evening  to  offer  our  hearty 
and  admiring  welcome,  the  welcome  of  all  American  citizens 
whom  we  may  be  held  in  any  sense  to  represent,  to  the  very 
distinguished  man  who  has  done  us  the  honor  to  become  our 
guest.  With  his  patriotic  sensibility,  it  can  not  but  be  gratify¬ 
ing  to  him  to  feel  that  this  welcome  has  in  it  only  more  of  the 
sentiments  of  honor  and  of  pleasure  because  we  greet  him  as 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  living  representatives  of  a  great 
and  gallant  Nation,  to  which  we  are  bound  by  many  ties  [ap¬ 
plause]  ;  which  was  the  earliest  and  the  constant  friend  of  our 
Republic  a  hundred  years  ago,  in  our  own  strenuous  struggle  for' 
national  existence  ;  the  splendor  and  the  tragedy  of  whose  sub¬ 
sequent  career  have  filled  Christendom  with  its  renown  ;  which 
is  the  only  great  power  in  Europe  that  holds  the  faith  and  main- 


10 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


tains  the  form  of  that  republican  government  which  to  us  is 
venerable  and  dear.  [Applause.] 

A  hundred  years  ago,  last  January,  Washington  wrote  from 
Morristown  to  a  distinguished  officer  of  the  American  army, 
then  contemplating  an  important  military  movement,  that  the 
state  of  the  army  was  such  as  to  fill  him  with  the  most  anxious 
and  alarming  fears.  Half  starved,  imperfectly  clothed,  and 
riotous  in  spirit,  it  was  impossible,  in  his  judgment,  to  enter 
upon  any  military  enterprise  with  troops  in  such  a  condition. 
A  few  weeks  later  than  that,  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  then  in 
Paris,  on  the  eve  of  his  second  departure  for  America,  wrote  to 
Benjamin  Franklin,  then  representing  our  Colonies  in  France: 
44  From  the  Minister  of  War,  and  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Af¬ 
fairs,  I  get  the  most  positive  assurances  that  our  15,000  stand  of 
arms,  with  the  same  number  of  accoutrements,  will  be  soon  de¬ 
livered  for  the  use  of  the  American  army,  and  safely  conveyed. 
— I  have  made  it  a  point  to  carry  with  me  about  4,000  com¬ 
plete  suits  [of  clothes  for  the  army]. — In  consequence  of  posi¬ 
tive  ministerial  assurances,  I  make  no  doubt  that  you  will  have 
the  safest  convoy  for  the  remaining  6,000  suits,  which  are  to 
be  made  at  Nantes.”  That  letter  was  written  a  hundred  years 
ago  yesterday;  on  the  29th  of  February,  1780.  It  has  been  a 
long  time  in  coming  to  us ;  but  it  comes  in  good  time,  if  to  our 
guest  it  adds  another  sparkle  to  the  welcome  of  this  evening,  by 
assuring  him  that  we  cherish  the  souvenirs  of  the  past,  and  that 
we  are  bound  by  affectionate  ties  to  that  gallant  and  grand  Na¬ 
tion  which  was  our  early  friend.  [Applause.] 

But  whatever  his  nationality,  Austrian,  Russian,  Italian, 
Spanish,  Swiss,  or  Swede,  we  should  welcome  him,  for  the  per¬ 
sonal  qualities  which  we  and  all  others  recognize  in  him :  for 
the  fine  and  masterful  intelligence  which  the  world  has  learned 
to  appreciate ;  for  the  heroic  humanity  with  which  his  name  was 
identified  in  Spain,  almost  forty  years  ago ;  for  the  liberal  senti¬ 
ment,  and  the  liberal  feeling  and  principle,  which  he  manifested 
when  the  representative  of  his  country  at  the  Court  of  Pome  ; 
for  the  unsullied — we  may  almost  say  the  fastidious — integrity, 
with  which  he  has  been  content  with  an  honorable  competence, 
while  he  has  been  putting  millions  upon  millions  into  the  hands 
of  other  men  ;  for  the  great  work  which  he  has  accomplished  for 


ADDRESS  OF  REY.  DR.  STORES. 


11 


civilization,  in  opening  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  bringing  the  East 
and  the  West  nearer  together,  and  seeming  actually  to  shorten 
the  daily  path  of  the  sun  in  the  heavens.  [Applause.] 

On  the  house  of  Galvani,  at  Bologna,  stands  a  tablet  with  a 
record  which  may  he  roughly  translated  :  “  I  received  Galvani 
at  his  birth  ;  I  mourned  him  at  his  death  ;  by  whose  discovery 
the  poles  are  joined.”  We  trust  it  will  he  long  before  any  tab¬ 
let  will  he  needed  to  record  the  achievements  and  to  celebrate 
the  character  of  our  illustrious  guest ;  but,  whenever  it  is  placed, 
it  will  fitly  recite  the  fact  that  against  all  natural  obstacles, 
against  the  sluggish  timidity  of  capital,  against  the  hostile  opin¬ 
ions,  and  so-called  demonstrations,  of  eminent  engineers,  against 
the  reluctance  and  the  resistance  of  peoples  and  of  Governments, 
after  a  steadfast  and  victorious  struggle  of  fifteen  years,  he  com¬ 
pelled  the  Bed  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean  to  mingle  their  waters 
in  the  midst  of  the  desert,  and  brought  London  and  Bombay  to 
salute  each  other  across  the  Bitter  Lakes  of  Suez.  [Applause.] 

But,  of  course,  gentlemen,  we  understand  that  our  guest  is 
not  content  with  any  past  achievement,  and  has  not  come  to 
this  country  upon  a  tour  of  pleasant  general  observation,  but 
with  reference  to  the  greatest  physical  work  yet  remaining  to 
be  accomplished  upon  the  planet,  perhaps,  for  the  final  libera¬ 
tion  of  the  commerce  of  the  globe ;  a  work  worthy  of  his  pow¬ 
ers  and  his  aspiration ;  which,  being  accomplished,  is  to  make 
not  only  his  name  illustrious,  but  the  century  memorable  in  the 
annals  of  the  world. 

Of  course,  there  are  many  questions  connected  with  the  sub¬ 
ject  thus  opened  to  us  by  his  coming,  into  wdiich  it  is  not  need¬ 
ful,  or  proper  perhaps,  that  we  should  enter :  questions  of  engi¬ 
neering,  for  example.  I  remember  to  have  heard  it  said  once 
upon  high  legal  authority — what  was  excellent  fun  I  thought — 
whether  it  was  equally  good  law  or  not  others  will  determine — 
that  inasmuch  as  streams  are  often  called  “laughing  brooks,” 
there  would  seem  to  be  no  legal  tort  involved  in  providing  diver¬ 
sion  for  any  water-course.  [Applause  and  laughter.]  Whether 
any  amount  of  diversion  will  convert  the  roaring  and  turbulent 
Chagres  Biver  into  a  laughing  brook  is  for  M.  De  Lesseps  and 
the  experts  associated  with  him  to  say.  There  are  monetary 
and  commercial  questions  suggested :  as  to  whether  capital  suf- 


12 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


ficient  can  be  raised,  or  whether  the  canal  will  prove  to  such 
capital  a  remunerative  investment.  Our  honored  guest  is  con¬ 
fident  on  both  these  points ;  and,  remembering  his  past  suc¬ 
cesses,  he  would  be  a  bolder  man  than  I  am  who  should  venture 
to  question  the  correctness  of  his  judgment.  But  it  is  a  ques¬ 
tion  upon  which  we  need  not  enter ;  unless  there  happens  to  be 
some  gentleman  present  with  a  hundred  and  twenty  millions 
about  him,  in  regard  to  which  he  would  like  our  judgment  as  to 
their  investment.  [Laughter.] 

There  are  grave  political  and  diplomatic  questions  involved. 
In  1823,  as  we  know,  it  was  understood  that  the  Allied  Powers 
in  Europe  were  threatening  the  reestablishment  of  monarchical 
institutions  on  this  side  of  the  ocean,  in  Chili  and  Peru,  in 
Mexico  and  California.  At  that  time,  therefore,  President 
Monroe,  in  his  Message  of  December,  incorporated  a  declara¬ 
tion,  which  is  said  to  have  been  suggested  by  Mr.  Canning,  and 
to  have  been  written  by  Mr.  John  Quincy  Adams,  to  the  effect 
that  the  United  States  would  regard  any  attempt,  on  the  part  of 
those  Allied  Powers,  to  extend  their  system  to  any  part  of  this 
hemisphere  as  dangerous  to  our  peace  and  safety,  and  as  indi¬ 
cating  an  unfriendly  disposition  on  their  part  toward  us.  I  am 
not  aware  that  that  has  ever  been  formulated  into  law,  by  any 
act  of  Congress.  But  I  suppose  that  it  expressed  at  that  time, 
and  expresses  still,  in  its  supreme  political  significance,  the 
steadfast  and  unswerving  judgment  and  will  of  the  American 
people.  Whether  that  memorable  declaration  is  in  any  neces¬ 
sary  conflict  with  a  commercial  enterprise,  undertaken  and  con¬ 
ducted  by  private  persons,  without  any  political  aspirations,  with 
no  governmental  complications — an  enterprise  initiated  and  ad¬ 
vanced  in  the  great  republic  of  Europe,  and  hailed  with  enthu¬ 
siastic  welcome  by  the  great  republics  of  Central  and  Southern 
America — an  enterprise,  half  of  whose  capital  stock  is  offered 
at  the  outset  to  Americans,  and  the  whole  or  the  major  part  of 
which  may  be  owned  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  next  year,  or 
in  any  future  year — is  a  question  about  which  there  may  possi¬ 
bly  be  differences  of  opinion,  but  into  which  it  is  not  necessary 
for  us  to  enter.  As  to  the  diplomatic  measures  which  may  be 
needful  to  secure  to  American  citizens  the  equal  and  free  right 
to  the  navigation  of  the  canal,  if  it  should  be  completed,  to 


ADDRESS  OE  REV.  DR.  STORRS. 


13 


secure  to  it  such  a  neutrality  as  already  belongs  to  the  Suez 
Canal — in  which  I  have  seen  it  stated  that  the  hostile  w'ar-ships 
of  belligerent  powers  have  been  seen  lying  side  by  side,  as  harm¬ 
less  to  each  other  as  two  old  canal-boats  in  the  Erie  Basin — as  to 
what  measures  may  be  needed  to  secure  that,  we  may  refer  it  to 
the  Government ;  and  we  of  JSTew  York  should  know  the  wis¬ 
dom,  patriotism,  and  diplomatic  skill  of  our  distinguished  Sec¬ 
retary  of  State  sufficiently  well  to  be  content  to  leave  such  ques¬ 
tions,  touching  our  interests,  however  vital  they  may  appear  to 
be,  in  his  skillful  and  experienced  hands. 

But,  postponing  such  questions,  we  can  not  but  think  of  this 
enterprise,  as  now  proposed  and  contemplated,  in  its  relation  to 
an  inspiring  past,  and  to  an  illustrious  future.  It  has  the  push 
of  fifty  years  of  incessant  and  grand  advance  behind  it.  Dur¬ 
ing  that  time,  as  we  know,  the  enterprise  and  skill,  the  private 
and  the  public  enterprise,  of  Europe  and  of  America,  have  been 
converging  all  the  time  upon  the  end  of  making  intercommuni¬ 
cation,  to  which  reference  was  made  in  the  prayer,  more  sure 
and  rapid ;  between  different  districts  of  the  same  country,  be¬ 
tween  different  countries  of  the  same  continent,  between  differ¬ 
ent  continents  of  the  same  hemisphere,  and  between  the  hemis¬ 
pheres.  The  railway  system — it  has  dissolved  the  Apennines, 
and  made  Italian  unity  possible :  the  dream  of  six  hundred 
years  realized  in  a  day !  It  has  bound  together  the  Austrian,  it 
has  bound  together  the  German  Empire.  It  links  Havre,  Calais, 
and  Paris,  with  Nice  and  Marseilles,  the  mouth  of  the  Loire 
with  the  mouths  of  the  Phone.  It  overlays  England  so  thickly 
that  you  can  hardly  insert  a  pin-point  between  the  lines  which 
represent  it  on  the  map.  In  our  own  country,  it  makes  neigh¬ 
bors  of  Maine  and  Texas,  of  the  Hudson  and  the  Rio  Grande ; 
it  overleaps  the  alkali  plains,  levels  the  mountains,  and  brings 
the  Bay  of  New  York  and  the  Golden  Gate  within  a  week  of 
each  other.  At  the  same  time  steamships  on  the  sea — great 
shuttles  flying  back  and  forth — have  been  making  the  hemi¬ 
spheres  neighbors,  weaving  the  web  of  international  and  inter¬ 
continental  relations,  robbing  voyages  of  half  their  danger  and 
half  their  discomfort.  And  the  telegraphic  system  enables  the 
merchant  or  the  banker,  in  his  counting-room  here,  to  transmit 
his  thought  and  will  almost  instantaneously  around  the  world. 


14 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


Civilization  lias  been  doing,  in  other  words,  precisely  what 
the  Roman  empire  did  when  it  flung  out  its  great  avenues  to 
Gaul,  to  Spain,  to  the  Lower  Danube,  to  the  Straits  of  the 
Hellespont,  to  the  Cataracts  of  the  Nile ;  only  that  modern 
civilization  has  been  doing  this,  not  for  imperial  aggrandize¬ 
ment,  but  for  the  multiplication  of  centers  of  wealth,  popula¬ 
tion,  and  power,  for  bringing  nations  to  know  each  other  better, 
for  the  advancement  of  liberty  and  peace,  and  of  the  Christian 
faith.  [Applause.] 

It  is  only  in  the  line,  then,  gentlemen,  you  observe,  of  this 
immense  and  brilliant  advance,  that  wherever  a  natural  barrier 
interposes  itself  to  the  progress  of  commerce,  enterprise  and 
skill  strike  it,  to  pierce  it,  to  surpass  it,  to  abolish  it.  The  Suez 
Canal,  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  is  the  most  signal 
illustration  of  this  endeavor  successfully  completed.  The  water¬ 
way  planned  by  our  guest  across  the  Isthmus  of  Corinth  is 
another  smaller  link  in  the  same  chain  of  progress ;  and  the 
Asian  railway — to  bring  India  and  Europe  nearer — is  still  an¬ 
other.  Italy  and  France,  not  content  with  flinging  lines  of 
railway  over  the  Alps — like  the  Brenner  and  the  Semmering — 
struck  the  Mont  Cenis,  to  cut  through  it  that  prodigious  channel 
of  eight  miles  and  more,  through  which,  no  doubt,  many  of  us 
have  swiftly  ridden,  through  which  the  trains  of  travel  and  of 
traffic  slide  all  the  time,  in  strangest  contrast  with  the  fierce, 
swirling  zigzags  by  which  men  of  old  climbed  the  mountain 
on  one  side  and  descended  on  the  other.  And  the  tunnel  of 
the  St.  Gothard,  the  tidings  of  the  completion  of  which  have 
come  to  us  only  this  day,  with  its  longer  channel  through  harder 
rock,  has  brought  the  lake  of  the  Four  Cantons  and  the  Italian 
lakes,  Maggiore  and  Como,  within  a  few  hours’  easy  ride  of 
each  other.  [Applause.] 

You,  remember,  perhaps,  the  story  that  is  told  of  our  emi¬ 
nent  and  favorite  American  philosopher — Mr.  Emerson.  I  don’t 
know  that  it  is  true,  but  it  has  certainly  an  air  of  verisimilitude : 
that  he  was  once  accosted  on  the  street  by  an  ardent  disciple  of 
the  Second  Advent  theory,  who  broke  upon  him  with  the 
astounding  information  that  the  world  was  to  be  destroyed  in  a 
couple  of  months.  “Well,  what  matter?”  said  the  meditative 
man  ;  “  to  the  philosophic  mind,  you  know  the  planet  has  always 


ADDRESS  OF  KEY.  DR.  STOKES. 


15 


been  of  the  nature  of  an  obstruction.  We  shall  get  on  perfectly 
well  without  it.”  [Laughter.]  To  the  commercial  mind  such 
obstructions  are  fast  disappearing ;  and,  while  we  could  not  get 
on  well  without  the  planet,  perhaps,  it  is  likely  to  become,  for 
all  purposes  of  commerce,  very  nearly  a  smooth  surface. 

Our  distinguished  guest  comes  here,  as  I  have  said,  with 
reference  to  the  last  and  grandest  work  of  this  kind  remaining 
to  be  accomplished — the  piercing  of  the  isthmus  of  rock  which 
divides  the  oceans,  and  unites  the  continents,  twenty-five  hundred 
miles  to  the  south  of  us.  Of  course,  it  is  not  a  new  conception. 
He  has  himself  referred,  I  observe,  to  the  plan  which  Philip  II. 
once  adopted,  and  afterward  abjured,  looking  toward  the  pierc¬ 
ing  of  that  vast  barrier.  I  believe  it  is  an  authenticated  fact  that 
Charles  V.  still  earlier  contemplated  the  same  thing  ;  and  there 
is  yet  another  fact,  which  I  have  never  seen  referred  to,  which 
perhaps  indicates  that  at  an  earlier  time  even  than  that  the  same 
thought  had  entered  the  minds  of  men.  If  there  is  any  Euro¬ 
pean  geographer  whom  America  ought  to  hold  in  honor  it  is 
Johannes  Schoener,  of  Nuremburg,  who  first  publicly  applied 
the  name  America  to  this  continent,  in  a  book  published  by  him 
— which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  a  few  days  since — in  the 
year  1515.  Johannes  Schoener,  in  the  year  1520,  the  year  in 
which  Magellan  discovered  the  straits  which  bear  his  name, 
but  before  any  tidings  of  that  discovery  could  have  arrived  in 
Europe,  constructed  a  globe,  which  one  still  sees  in  the  City 
Library  of  Nuremburg,  upon  which  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  is 
plainly  marked,  with  a  line  carefully  and  sharply  drawn  across 
it,  as  if  to  represent  Schoener’s  belief  that  there  either  was  a 
strait  there,  or,  if  there  was  not,  that  there  certainly  ought  to  be, 
and  that  man  might  be  trusted  at  last  to  cut  it.  Three  hundred 
and  sixty  years  ago  the  prophecy  on  that  globe  was  traced ! 

Our  Government,  as  you  know,  has  made  several  careful 
and  costly  explorations,  tending  at  last  toward  the  preference, 
on  the  part  of  the  American  people  and  officers,  for  the  Nicara¬ 
guan  route — through  the  San  Juan  river,  and  the  lake.  M.  de 
Lesseps  believes  that  a  canal  can  be  cut,  a  tide-level  canal,  with¬ 
out  locks,  thirty  feet  in  depth,  at  a  reasonable  cost,  within  a 
reasonable  time,  through  the  forty-six  miles  which  divide 
Aspinwall  from  Panama;  that  it  can  be  done  with  even  less 


16 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


difficulty  than  was  involved  in  the  construction  of  the  Suez 
Canal ;  and  he  throws  himself,  with  French  enthusiasm,  and 
with  French  and  Dutch  science,  against  that  rocky  harrier,  deter¬ 
mined  to  conquer  it.  [Applause.]  At  the  age  of  seventy-four, 
when  most  men  are  retiring  from  active  affairs,  he  undertakes 
to  lower  those  rocky  ridges,  and  through  the  cloven  chasm  of 
the  hills  to  open  a  channel,  along  whose  level  and  liquid  way 
the  products  of  the  earth,  in  fruitful  interchange,  shall  slide 
undisturbed  back  and  forth.  [Applause.] 

Gentlemen,  I  bow  in  admiration  before  the  genius  which 
thus  determines  to  make  a  reality  of  the  dreams  of  centuries. 
[Applause.]  I  think  of  the  immense  relations  of  that  work  to 
the  civilization  of  our  western  coasts,  of  the  western  coast  of 
America,  from  the  northernmost  point  of  Alaska  to  the  south¬ 
ernmost  point  of  Chili.  I  think  of  its  relation  to  the  civiliza¬ 
tion  of  the  great  Eastern  Empires,  which  we  shall  soon  have  to 
call  the  Western  Empires,  of  China  and  Japan.  [Applause.] 
I  think  of  its  relation  to  the  commerce  of  the  world,  whose  ships 
will  be  seen,  wrhen  this  is  finished,  flocking  over  every  sea  to¬ 
ward  that  narrow  line,  “  as  doves  flock  to  their  windows.”  I 
think  that  there  is  no  interest  on  earth — in  a  civilized  country 
— of  industry,  of  invention,  of  commerce,  of  liberty,  of  philan¬ 
thropy,  of  missionary  effort,  which  is  not  to  be  facilitated  by 
that  work  accomplished.  I  see  in  it  the  fulfillment  of  the  dream 
of  Columbus  himself,  who  sailed  from  Spain  that  he  might  find 
a  straight  path  over  the  ocean  to  the  Indies ;  and  then,  I  say, 
conscious  of  all  the  responsibility  of  the  statement,  that  there 
has  been,  to  my  mind,  no  grander  enterprise  undertaken  for  the 
commerce  and  the  civilization  of  the  world,  since  that  summer 
day  when  the  visionary  enthusiast  of  Genoa  set  sail  from  Palos ! 

The  American  people  are  fond  of  great  conceptions.  It  is 
born  in  their  blood  ;  it  is  nourished  by  their  history  ;  it  is  stimu¬ 
lated  by  the  configuration  of  the  country  and  its  vast  expanses, 
and  by  the  vital  and  quickening  air  which  we  inhale.  The 
American  people,  in  my  judgment,  will  greet  with  enthusiasm 
this  great  conception — determined  that  their  interests,  which 
are  many  and  are  vital,  shall  be  carefully  consulted  and  con¬ 
served  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  enterprise,  but  rejoicing 
that  it  is  apparently  now  cresting  toward  its  success,  and  ready 


ADDRESS  OF  HON.  JOHN  BIGELOW. 


17 


with,  a  unanimous  and  hearty  welcome,  of  which  ours  is  only 
the  foretaste  and  the  prophecy,  for  this  man  who  sits  so  quietly 
by  my  side — with  no  retinue,  no  army,  no  navy,  behind  him, 
but  with  all  the  pressure  of  modern  civilization  for  his  helper, 
and  with  that  quiet  hand  laid  now  on  the  levers  of  history. 
[Applause.] 


Cfje  alnitctr  States. 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  JOHN  BIGELOW. 

Mr.  Chairman  :  The  sentiment  with  which  you  have  been 
pleased  to  associate  my  name  in  such  flattering  terms  is  one 
upon  which  only  an  official  representative  of  the  United  States 
can  speak  with  authority.  I  suppose  it  is  unnecessary  for  me, 
in  this  presence,  to  disclaim  any  authority  to  speak  for  the 
Government  at  Washington.  However,  freedom  from  respon¬ 
sibility  often  confers  freedom  of  speech.  In  fact,  one  of  the 
purposes  of  this  festival,  I  suppose,  is  to  have  a  little  free  speech 
about  the  monumental  enterprise  which  has  been  projected  by 
our  distinguished  guest  to  marry  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  and 
of  the  Atlantic  oceans. 

I  infer,  from  my  own  experience,  that  one  of  the  first  im¬ 
pressions  which  a  child  receives  from  a  study  of  the  chart  of 
the  Western  hemisphere  is  one  of  wonder  and  disappointment 
that  the  oceans  do  not  communicate  at  the  narrow  isthmus 
which  separates  North  from  South  America.  I  doubt  if  any 
person,  young  or  old,  ever  became  familiar  with  that  chart 
without  having  some  such  thought  pass  through  his  mind.  So 
was  it  one  of  the  earliest  problems  of  the  transatlantic  naviga¬ 
tor.  Long  before  the  lineaments  of  our  continent  were  traced 
by  the  geographer,  Charles  Y.  had  instructed  one  of  his  explor¬ 
ers  to  search  for  the  secret  of  the  straits — el  secreto  de  los  estre- 
chos.  Since  the  commencement  of  this  century  we  are  told,  by 
an  apparently  well-informed  writer  in  “  Lippincott’s  Magazine,’’ 
2 


18 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


that  there  has  been  an  average  of  at  least  two  surveys  of  the 
Isthmus  region  a  year,  to  find  some  practicable  way  of  breaking 
the  barrier  which  separates  the  waters  of  the  two  oceans  that 
wash  the  shores  of  America.  The  literature  of  this  subject 
alone  already  makes  a  library  of  formidable  proportions. 

Why  has  this  barrier  been  left  as  if  the  work  of  Providence 
in  this  hemisphere  were  unfinished  ? 

Far  be  it  from  me  irreverently  to  presume  to  interpret  the 
ways  of  God  to  men,  but  I  hope  there  is  no  presumption  in 
saying  that  it  may  have  been  better  for  the  world  that  this  gate 
to  the  Eastern  seas  should  not  be  opened  until  we  were  able  to 
open  it;  until  the  advance  of  science,  the  accumulations  of 
wealth,  the  diffusion  of  intelligence  and  sound  principles  of 
statesmanship  among  the  European  states  and  their  offspring, 
had  prepared  them  to  profit  by  a  more  frequent  and  familiar 
intercourse  with  the  elder  civilizations  of  Asia.  The  height  of 
the  mountain  passes  of  the  Isthmus  and  the  pestilential  breath 
of  its  swamps,  are  they  not  the  Providential  measures  of  the 
forces  that  should  be  at  the  disposal  of  our  Western  civilization 
before  it  will  be  properly  equipped  for  a  conflict  or  closer  con¬ 
tact  with  the  pagan  civilizations  of  the  East  ?  Are  we  yet  pre¬ 
pared  to  cope  with  such  an  antagonist  ?  Have  we  the  science, 
have  we  the  wealth,  have  we  the  faith  necessary  for  such  a 
struggle  ?  Whether  we  have  or  not  I  have  no  pretension  to 
give  an  opinion,  but  we  are  so  fortunate  as  to  have  with  us  to¬ 
night  a  gentleman  who  has  a  way  of  doing  impossible  things, 
and  he  says  we  have ;  that  the  world  is  now  fully  prepared  and 
competent  to  canalize  the  Isthmus,  and  to  cope  with  all  the  con¬ 
sequences  that  could  result  from  such  an  enlargement  of  the 
commercial  facilities  of  the  world. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  we  should  be  careful  how  we 
countenance  the  project  of  M.  de  Lesseps,  lest  in  doing  so  we 
surrender  a  favorite  political  tradition,  which  is  commonly 
spoken  of  as  the  Monroe  doctrine. 

The  popular  view  of  the  Monroe  doctrine,  and  that  is  the 
only  one  we  need  take  any  notice  of  to-night,  is  that  the  sister¬ 
hood  of  American  states  will  make  common  cause  against  any 
non- American  states  to  deprive  any  one  of  them  of  its  autono¬ 
my  or  to  impair  its  sovereignty.  That,  I  believe,  is  what  our 


ADDRESS  OF  HON.  JOHN  BIGELOW. 


19 


people  mean  when  they  talk  of  the  Monroe  doctrine.  I  believe, 
further,  that  this  is  no  more  the  doctrine  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States  than  it  is  the  doctrine  of  the  people  of  Peru,  of 
Chili,  of  Nicaragua,  or  of  Colombia,  though  they  may  give  it  a 
different  name. 

This  doctrine  no  one,  I  am  sure,  in  this  assembly — our  dis¬ 
tinguished  guest  least  of  all — would  think  for  one  moment  of 
subordinating  to  any  scheme  for  the  mere  promotion  of  com¬ 
merce,  however  imposing  or  lucrative  its  character. 

The  inauspicious  attempt  to  deprive  our  sister  republic  of 
Mexico  of  her  autonomy  in  the  interest  of  an  Austrian  prince 
and  the  consequences  of  that  attempt  are  quite  too  recent  and 
conspicuous  events  to  allow  any  doubt  to  exist  on  that  point  in 
any  quarter  of  the  globe. 

But  what  has  this  doctrine  to  do  with  the  construction  of  a 
new  and  incalculably  valuable  artery  of  commerce  through  the 
territory  of  our  sister  state  of  Colombia,  and  with  her  entire  and 
cordial  assent  ?  Would  not  the  obstruction  of  such  a  work  by 
any  foreign  power  be  interfering  with  the  sovereignty  and  in¬ 
dependence  of  Colombia  ?  Would  it  not  be  in  itself  a  violation 
of  the  Monroe  doctrine  of  the  most  unequivocal  character  ? 
Might  we  not  as  well  attempt  to  apply  the  Monroe  doctrine  to 
the  newspapers  and  books  of  Europe,  and  prohibit  their  crossing 
the  Atlantic,  lest  they  unsettle  our  republicanism  ? 

God  forbid  that  a  rule  of  comity  which  leads  us  to  fly  to  the 
aid  of  our  sister  states  who  may  be  threatened  by  foreign  fleets 
and  armies  should  bind  us  to  turn  our  back  upon  any  effort  to 
improve  our  relations  with  each  other  or  with  the  rest  of  the 
world ;  should  bind  us  to  resist  an  attempt  to  multiply  social, 
commercial,  and  industrial  guarantees  against  a  policy  of  aggres¬ 
sion  and  conquest ! 

What  could  we  desire  better  than  that  a  portion  of  the 
money  which  our  European  friends  are  now  spending  in  cutting 
each  other’s  throats  should  be  diverted  to  a  work  which  would 
contribute  more  useful  produce  to  the  markets  of  the  world 
than  any  other  conceivable  public  enterprise? 

But,  Mr.  Chairman,  it  may  be  said  that  the  English  and 
Dutch  and  French  and  Spanish  and  Portuguese  capitalists  are 
not  going  to  give  their  money  to  build  this  canal  without  some 


20 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


guarantees  from  their  respective  governments  that  it  will  be 
maintained  as  a  public  highway,  and  that  any  participation  in 
such  a  work  by  foreign  governments  would  he  the  entering 
wedge  to  a  system  of  European  meddling  on  this  continent. 

Now,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  do  not  know  what  aid  M.  de  Lesseps 
expects  from  European  governments  or  people,  if  any,  in  the 
construction  of  this  canal.  I  only  hope  they  will  build  it  all. 
I  think  that  would  suit  us  exactly.  Nor  do  I  know  that  I  care 
much  what  guarantees  they  take  from  each  other  or  from  the 
Colombian  government  with  its  free  assent,  provided  they 
secure  the  uses  of  the  canal  to  all  nations  upon  precisely  equal 
terms. 

When  the  work  is  done,  what  is  it  ?  It  is  not  a  fortress  ;  it 
is  only  a  canal.  It  renders  no  belligerents — unless  it  be  the 
American  states,  whom  it  brings  into  closer  relations — a  parti¬ 
cle  stronger,  nor  any  belligerent  weaker — unless  it  be  the  Euro¬ 
pean  states  who  derive  no  corresponding  military  advantage. 
Should  any  foreign  state  endeavor  to  exert  undue  influence 
upon  the  state  of  Colombia,  in  what  respect  would  the  canal 
render  the  United  States  less  competent  to  resist  that  influence  ? 
If  at  any  moment  the  property  were  used,  or  threatened  to  be 
used,  to  the  prejudice  of  the  United  States,  what  would  its  stock 
be  worth  if  our  government  were  to  frown  upon  it?  Why, 
gentlemen,  the  fate  of  Maximilian’s  scheme  to  plant  a  foreign 
government  in  Mexico  a  few  years  ago  ought  to  put  an  end  to 
all  fears  on  this  subject.  The  United  States  made  no  war  upon 
Maximilian’s  government  nor  upon  his  allies.  It  did  not  even 
threaten  them.  It  simply  refused  to  recognize  the  new  govern¬ 
ment,  and  continued  to  recognize  the  supplanted  government  as 
the  lawful  government  of  the  country.  That  did  not  compro-' 
mise  our  friendly  relations  either  with  France  or  with  Austria. 
It  did  not  cost  us  a  cent  of  money  or  an  ounce  of  powder,  and 
yet  it  sufficed  to  make  Mexico  uninhabitable  to  her  invaders. 

The  fact  is,  Mr.  Chairman,  if  the  construction  of  a  new 
artery  for  our  commerce  on  this  continent  with  the  aid  of  for¬ 
eign  capital  is  a  violation  of  the  Monroe  doctrine,  then  we  are 
violating  it  every  day  in  permitting  our  railway  bonds  to  be  sold 
abroad  and  foreign  steamers  to  load  and  unload  at  our  wharves. 


REMARKS  OF  SEN  OR  AROSEMENA. 


21 


Jfranre  ml r  onx  Sister  ^t^nhlxcB  in  ^nurica;. 

Joined  to  our  country  in  traditional  friendship ,  and  in  common 
guardianship  of  free  institutions ,  peace  and  national  justice 
— with  open  heart  New  York  greets  them  all. 


EEMAEKS  OF  SENOE  AEOSEMENA. 

This  toast  was  responded  to  successively  by  Senores  Arose- 
mena,  Minister  of  the  Colombian  Eepublic  to  the  United  States, 
and  Zamacona,  Minister  from  the  Eepublic  of  Mexico.  Senor 
Arosemena  said  the  conditions  under  which  America  and  France 
and  the  sister  republics  of  America  were  joined  in  national 
sympathy  and  political  as  well  as  commercial  interests  to-day 
were  vastly  different  from  those  of  one  hundred  years  ago. 
France  was  no  longer  in  the  power  of  the  Bourbons  or  the 
Napoleons,  but  was  a  republic  like  ours.  It  was  from  France 
and  her  revolutions  that  the  states  of  South  America  learned 
the  rights  of  men  to  be  free  and  to  strike  for  liberty ;  it  was 
from  France  that  they  learned  their  first  lessons  in  politics,  adn 
afterward,  when  the  American  Eevolution  succeeded,  another 
and  greater  example  was  given  to  people  who  wished  to  be  free, 
and  then  came  the  series  of  great  changes  which  the  world  has 
since  witnessed  from  despotism  to  liberal  government ;  and  these 
two  great  examples — America  and  France — all  the  South  Ameri¬ 
can  republics  seemed  disposed  to  follow.  As  for  their  political 
institutions,  he  would  not  say  much  here — the  term  of  a  presi¬ 
dent  in  Colombia  was  two  years,  and  they  could  reelect  him  as 
often  as  they  pleased.  (Laughter.)  In  fact,  it  might  be  very 
wrong  here  to  state  all  the  liberal  principles  which  they  had  put 
into  practice.  lie  would  close,  however,  by  saying  he  hoped  to 
see  the  success  of  this  newest  enterprise — the  transisthmian 
canal. 


22 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


REMARKS  OF  SENOR  ZAMACONA. 

Senoe  Zamacona  expressed  his  thanks  for  the  honor  of  speak¬ 
ing  to  so  distinguished  an  assemblage,  and  said  that  nothing  but 
such  an  honor  would  lead  him  to  respond,  laboring  as  he  was 
under  a  complaint  which  seriously  affected  his  nervous  system 
and  his  brain.  There  could  be  so  many  differences  of  opinion, 
and  so  many  antagonisms  of  interests  in  this  question,  that  it 
presented  both  local  and  national  considerations  on  every  side. 
Mexico,  of  course,  would  have  desired,  more  as  a  point  of  honor 
than  as  a  point  of  national  or  private  interest,  to  open  her  own 
gates  to  the  traffic  of  the  world  across  the  American  continent, 
but  the  local,  national,  or  selfish  interest,  as  it  might  be  called, 
had  not  placed  Mexico  above  the  general  and  most  important 
interest  of  civilization  and  the  universal  interest  of  commerce 
and  trade.  (Applause.)  So,  if  no  other  project,  no  other  way 
of  communication  was  more  practicable,  let  it  be  executed  as 
now  designed,  and  Mexico  would  contribute  her  small  share  of 
energy,  influence,  and  power  to  overcome  the  obstacles  of  such 
an  enterprise.  (Applause.)  When  such  a  great  object  was 
undertaken  by  such  great  nations  as  France  and  the  United 
States,  it  would  be  executed  beyond  a  doubt,  and  would  con¬ 
tribute  to  strengthen  the  brotherly  ties  of  the  whole  fraternity 
of  republican  states.  (Applause.) 


®ur  pmmtir,  our  SMronte  (Suesi 

SPEECH  OF  M.  FERDINAND  DE  LESSEPS. 

J’affaiblirais  la  force  des  eloquentes  paroles  prononcees  avec 
tant  de  bienveillance  pour  moi  par  votre  president,  si  j’ajoutais 
rien  a  son  admirable  discours.  11  a  parle  en  vrai  Americain,  et 
il  a  traite  mon  pro  jet  a  un  point  de  vue  veritablement  Ameri¬ 
cain.  Je  ne  veux  pas  entrer  dans  une  discussion,  comme  Fran- 


SPEECH  OF  M.  FERDINAND  DE  LESSEPS. 


23 


§ais,  sur  les  questions  qu’il  a  touchees  avec  tant  de  grace  et  tant 
de  force  a  la  fois.  Je  n’ai  qu’un  mot  a  repondre.  Dans  nos 
negociations  relativement  a  l’ouverture  du  Canal  de  Panama, 
pour  lequel  j’ai  la  concession  du  G-ouvernement  de  Colombie, 
j’ai  declare  formellement  que  je  n’avais  aucun  interet  politique 
dans  cette  affaire,  et  que  je  ne  recherchais  aucun  avantage  par- 
ticulier  pour  mon  pays.  Je  renouvelle  aujourd’hui  franchement 
cette  declaration,  et  je  dirai  au  President  des  Etats-Unis,  quand 
je  le  verrai  samedi  prochain  a  Washington,  que  si  jamais  la  poli¬ 
tique  venait  a  s’en  meler,  je  serai  tres  heureux  de  recourir  a  la 
protection  des  Etats-Unis. 

Les  Etats-Unis  ont  droit  a  la  preeminence  dans  cette  affaire, 
et  j’ai  la  conviction  qu’ils  l’auront.  La  science  a  declare  que  le 
canal  est  possible,  et  je  suis  le  serviteur  de  la  science.  Je  mene- 
rai  cette  oeuvre  a  bonne  fin,  et  elle  fera  l’Amerique  reine  des 
mers. 

Je  presente  mes  remerciements  a  cette  assemblee  pour  sa  tres 
gracieuse  reception,  et  dans  les  souvenirs  agreables  que  j’empor- 
terai  de  ma  visite  a  cette  grande  republique,  elle  occupera  Pune 
des  premieres  places.  Je  vais  prochainement  quitter  cette  ville, 
et  je  visiterai  tour  a  tour  Washington,  Philadelphia,  San  Fran¬ 
cisco,  Chicago,  et  Boston,  pour  exposer  devant  votre  peuple  les 
merites  de  mon  projet.  Je  dirai  franchement  dans  ces  villes 
ce  que  j’ai  dit  ici,  et  si  j’y  suis  regu  aussi  courtoisement  que  je 
l’ai  ete  ici,  je  considererai  le  succes  de  mon  entreprise  comme 
assure.  C’est  aux  meilleurs  interets  de  l’Amerique  et  a  sa  pros¬ 
perity  future  que  cette  entreprise  tend  principalement,  et  elle 
doit,  comme  j’espere  qu’elle  le  fera,  contribuer  aux  depenses 
necessaires  dans  la  mesure  des  immenses  avantages  qui  ne  peu- 
vent  manquer  d’en  deriver  pour  elle.  Messieurs,  je  vous  re- 
mercie. 


[Translation.] 

I  should  only  weaken  the  force  of  the  eloquent  words 
spoken  with  much  kindness  toward  me  by  your  president,  if  I 
added  anything  to  his  admirable  address.  He  has  spoken  as  a 
true  American,  and  has  treated  my  enterprise  from  a  truly 
American  standpoint.  I  do  not,  as  a  Frenchman,  wish  to  enter 


24 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


into  a  discussion  on  the  questions  which  he  has  so  gracefully  and 
at  the  same  time  so  forcibly  presented.  I  have  only  a  word  to 
say  in  reply.  In  our  negotiations  relating  to  the  opening  of  the 
Panama  Canal,  for  which  I  have  the  concession  from  the  Govern¬ 
ment  of  Colombia,  I  formally  announced  that  I  had  no  political 
interest  in  the  affair,  and  that  I  sought  no  especial  advantage 
for  my  own  country.  I  repeat  frankly  to-day  this  declaration, 
and  I  will  tell  the  President  of  the  United  States,  when  I  see 
him  next  Saturday  at  Washington,  that,  if  ever  politics  should 
be  mixed  up  in  the  question,  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  have  re¬ 
course  to  the  protection  of  the  United  States. 

The  United  States  have,  by  right,  the  preeminence  in  this 
enterprise,  and  it  is  my  conviction  they  will  secure  it.  Science 
has  declared  that  the  canal  is  possible,  and  I  am  the  servant  of 
science.  I  will  carry  this  work  to  a  successful  result,  and  it  will 
make  America  queen  of  the  seas. 

I  wish  to  thank  this  gathering  for  its  very  gracious  reception 
of  me,  and,  among  the  agreeable  souvenirs  I  shall  take  with  me 
of  my  visit  to  your  great  republic,  it  will  hold  one  of  the  first 
places.  I  am  going  soon  to  leave  this  city,  and  I  shall  in  turn 
visit  Washington,  Philadelphia,  San  Francisco,  Chicago,  and  Bos¬ 
ton,  to  present  to  your  people  the  advantages  of  my  plan.  I  shall 
frankly  say  in  those  cities  what  I  have  said  here,  and,  should  I  be 
received  in  them  as  courteously  as  I  have  been  here,  I  shall  con¬ 
sider  the  success  of  my  enterprise  assured.  It  is  to  the  best  in¬ 
terests  of  America  and  to  her  future  prosperity  that  this  under¬ 
taking  principally  tends,  and  she  ought,  as  I  hope  she  will,  con¬ 
tribute  to  the  necessary  expenses  in  proportion  to  the  immense 
advantages  which  she  will  derive  from  it.  Gentlemen,  I  thank 
you. 


REMARKS  OF  MAYOR  COOPER. 


25 


Cbe  Citir  of  Ipto  gorh. 

yAe  metropolis  of  the  New  World ,  a  c/ose  apostles 

of  progress. 

MAYOR  COOPER’S  REMARKS. 

A  city  that  does  not  extend  a  hospitable  welcome  to  great 
men  and  great  ideas  can  not  itself  be  accounted  as  great,  and  if  it 
be  really  entitled  to  this  distinction,  the  truth  is  the  highest  com¬ 
pliment  which  can  be  offered  to  it.  St.  Paul,  when  he  told  the 
Athenians  from  Mars  Hill  that  they  were  “  superstitious,”  and 
our  illustrious  guest,  when,  the  other  day,  he  characterized  our 
engineering  achievements  as  “  audacious,”  both  felt  the  force  of 
this  idea  and  gave  it  a  spontaneous  expression.  We  thank  M.  de 
Lesseps  that  he  has  come  hither  to  explain  his  great  plans,  be¬ 
cause  it  implies  that  he  believes  New  York  to  be  great  enough 
to  appreciate  his  comprehensive  ideas  for  the  development  of 
universal  commerce.  It  would  be  strange,  indeed,  if,  under  any 
circumstances,  New  York  did  not  extend  the  full  measure  of  its 
hospitality  to  M.  de  Lesseps,  who,  of  all  living  men,  is  the  em¬ 
bodiment  of  the  ideas  which  has  given  to  this  city  its  primacy 
among  the  cities  of  America.  The  system  of  State  canals, 
executed  by  the  genius,  energy,  and  indomitable  will  of  the 
most  illustrious  of  my  predecessors  in  office,  De  Witt  Clinton, 
has  made  New  York  the  center  of  the  enterprise,  capital,  and 
civilization  of  the  Western  World.  From  the  day  when  the 
Erie  Canal  was  finished  New  York  ceased  to  be  provincial  and 
became  cosmopolitan.  Of  this  the  proof  is  furnished  to-night, 
when  the  home  of  Clinton  receives  the  world-renowned  con¬ 
structor  of  the  Suez  Canal  as  altogether  worthy  to  be  ranked 
with  the  great  benefactor  of  the  Empire  State,  by  whose  genius 
we  have  been  made  so  strong  that,  unlike  the  doubting  Trojan, 
we  fear  not  even  those  who  bring  us  gifts.  But  New  York  is 
as  loyal  as  she  is  liberal.  While  she  accepts  great  ideas  with 
the  same  alacrity  that  she  welcomes  great  men,  she  is  true,  as 


26 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


she  ever  has  been,  to  the  traditions  of  the  fathers  and  to  the 
policy  which  has  made  onr  republic  as  great  as  it  is  free.  To 
that  policy,  when  deliberately  expressed  by  the  voice  of  the 
nation,  'New  York  will  yield  a  loyal  assent,  and  it  will  be  sus¬ 
tained,  at  whatever  cost  to  her  commercial  interest,  by  all  her 
citizens,  in  whose  behalf  I  have  the  honor  to  speak  and  to  as¬ 
sure  our  distinguished  guest  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  they 
hold  him  and  his  undertakings.  That  there  may  never  be  any 
antagonism  between  them  and  our  national  policy  is,  I  am  sure, 
not  only  the  earnest  desire  of  M.  de  Lesseps,  but  of  every  per¬ 
son  who  joins  in  this  tribute  of  respect  and  admiration  to  one 
who  has  accomplished  undertakings  so  beneficial  as  to  entitle 
him  to  the  gratitude  of  mankind. 


The  handmaid  of  benevolent  civilization. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  A.  A.  LOW. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  :  The  toast  to  which  I  am 
invited  to  respond  opens  a  field  for  contemplation  as  large  as 
the  world,  as  limitless  as  time,  as  comprehensive  as  all  the  ages 
during  which  man  has  moved  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  of  which 
we  have  record  or  tradition. 

A  proper  consideration  of  so  grand  a  theme  would  necessi¬ 
tate  an  inquiry  into  the  varying  conditions  which  have  attended 
the  progress  of  the  human  race,  from  the  earliest  creation  until 
now  ;  an  inquiry  into  the  varieties  of  climate  and  diversities  of 
production  which  distinguish  different  parts  of  the  globe ;  and 
an  inquiry  as  to  what  extent  an  interchange  of  the  necessaries 
and  of  the  useful  things  of  life  has  contributed  to  the  welfare 
and  happiness  of  mankind. 

In  tracing  the  growth  of  communities  from  a  beginning, 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  A.  A.  LOW. 


27 


however  small,  through  the  expanding  proportions  of  village, 
town,  city,  and  commonwealth,  until  at  length  it  culminates  in 
a  great,  powerful,  and  cohesive  nationality,  we  discover,  between 
man  and  man,  a  law  of  mutual  dependence,  resulting  from  en¬ 
dowments  and  capacities,  as  various  as  the  different  climates  and 
conditions  under  which  they  are  born. 

By  nature  men  are  formed  to  be  thus  dependent  on  each 
other,  and  for  reasons  as  strongly  marked  as  those  which  affect 
the  relations  between  city  and  country,  and  appertain  as  well  to 
the  differing  properties  and  products  of  the  separate  zones.  In 
feudal  times  men  gathered  themselves  into  “  communities/’  for 
the  sake  of  mutual  protection  ;  in  more  peaceful  times,  for  the 
convenient  pursuit  of  their  various  avocations. 

It  is  through  the  agency  of  commerce  that  this  law  of  mu¬ 
tual  dependence  of  men  and  communities  upon  each  other  is 
mainly  enforced  and  fulfilled. 

The  law  of  supply  and  demand  of  which  we  are  accustomed 
to  speak  is  the  resulting  issue  of  what  is  inherent  in  our  consti¬ 
tution,  and  becomes  manifest  in  appetites,  desires,  and  tastes, 
which  are  multiplied  and  enlarged  with  every  added  opportu¬ 
nity  for  their  gratification,  all  attaining  their  highest  develop¬ 
ment  in  the  most  advanced  state  of  civilization. 

It  would  be  impossible  within  the  limit  of  a  brief  address 
to  discuss  the  comparative  weight  of  the  different  forces  which 
have  been  at  work  during  all  the  centuries,  and  acting  together 
for  the  improvement  and  elevation  of  the  human  race.  But,  in 
every  important  movement  affecting  the  interests  of  man,  com¬ 
merce  has  filled  a  most  important  part.  This  is  as  clearly  writ¬ 
ten  on  every  page  of  ancient  and  modern  history  as  it  is  patent 
to  the  senses  of  all  whose  privilege  it  is  to  live  in  our  own  highly 
favored  age. 

At  one  time  commerce  has  been  the  ally  of  the  adventurous 
navigator,  as  it  has  been  the  motive  power  which  has  sent  him 
abroad  upon  strange  seas,  in  quest  of  lands  before  unknown.  At 
another  period  it  has  opened  the  doors  of  empire  to  the  arms  of 
the  conqueror,  after  exercising  a  sway  only  less  than  regal  over 
peoples  that  have  been  numbered  by  hundreds  of  millions. 
Again,  it  has  cleared  the  way  for  the  messenger  of  life  and  of 
light  to  the  heathen,  not  infrequently  providing  the  only  means 


28 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


by  which  the  missionary  could  obtain  passage  to  the  remotest 
parts  of  the  world. 

While  its  own  methods  are  naturally  tranquilizing  and  peace¬ 
ful,  commerce  has  lent  strength  to  the  arm  of  the  soldier  and 
imparted  vigor  to  war — war  sometimes  waged  for  noble  ends, 
and,  alas  !  too  often  in  a  bad  cause.  Like  religion,  commerce 
has  been  made  the  companion  of  vice  in  many  wrongs  perpe¬ 
trated  by  the  hands  of  power  against  the  semi-civilized  and  the 
weak ;  as  notably  in  Mexico  and  Peru  as  in  any  other  portion 
of  the  world.  Nor,  in  our  own  day  and  in  our  own  land,  so 
largely  blessed  with  the  knowledge  of  Christian  truth,  has  it 
been  obedient  to  the  curb  too  feebly  held  by  Christian  hands. 

Commerce,  intended  by  God  to  diffuse  and  exchange  the 
fruits  of  the  earth  and  the  products  of  human  skill  among  the 
different  peoples  of  the  globe,  has  at  times  not  only  been  ag¬ 
gressive  in  spirit,  but  practically  hostile  to  the  promulgation  of 
religious  truth — neutralizing  the  labors  of  the  missionary  by 
humiliating  contrasts,  weakening  the  Christian  precept  by 
opposing  to  it  a  bad  example.  Nor  have  nationalities  been 
less  to  blame  than  the  merchant  in  pursuit  of  gain,  when 
imparting  imperial  sanction  to  a  traffic  in  a  deleterious  drug, 
the  use  of  which  tends  not  to  preserve  but  actually  to  destroy 
human  life — thus  perverting  a  beneficent  institution  to  evil 
ends. 

But  I  would  not  dwell  upon  abuses  naturally  resulting  from 
a  law  of  imperfection  that  is  incident  to  human  nature.  It  is  far 
pleasanter  to  contemplate  the  good  and  the  evil,  which,  to  some 
extent,  are  inseparable ;  to  call  to  mind  how  many  institutions 
which  are  a  blessing  to  man  owe  their  origin  to  the  public  spirit 
of  the  opulent — to  those  who  have  been  enriched  in  the  paths 
of  trade  and  commerce ;  what  schools  and  colleges  have  been 
founded ;  what  libraries,  public  and  private,  established  ;  what 
galleries  of  art ;  what  bountiful  provision  has  been  made  for  the 
dispensation  of  charity  in  manifold  ways ;  what  costly  edifices 
raised  for  the  worship  of  God. 

Every  land  and  every  sea  has  been  made  tributary  to  one 
great  end — the  promotion  of  man’s  comfort  and  enjoyment  of 
life  on  the  earth. 

The  wealth  of  human  thought,  the  gifts  of  rare  genius,  and 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  A.  A.  LOW. 


29 


the  results  of  human  skill  have  been  transported  from  country 
to  country,  translated  into  every  language,  and  made  the  property 
of  every  land — descending  from  generation  to  generation  to 
swell  the  common  inheritance. 

Who  shall  say  that  commerce  is  not  a  tranquilizing  agent, 
when  it  stills  the  voice  of  complaint  in  its  ministry  to  the  starv¬ 
ing  population  of  Ireland  and  to  the  far-off  people  of  India 
and  China,  so  lately  stricken  with  famine ;  when  it  sends  its 
ships  across  the  sea,  laden  with  the  riches  of  our  favored  soil,  to 
relieve  the  wants  of  the  hungry  and  perishing  ?  All  praise  to 
those  who  have  been  most  forward  in  promoting  enterprises  so 
worthy  of  a  philanthropic  and  Christian  people  ! 

In  thus  touching  upon  certain  phases  of  my  theme  I  have 
failed  to  show  by  what  slow  degrees,  in  earlier  times,  and  by 
what  accelerated  steps,  in  these  later  days,  commerce  has  pushed 
forward  the  advancing  columns  of  civilization  in  its  progress 
from  land  to  land,  from  continent  to  continent ;  how,  emerging 
from  a  state  of  barbarism,  man  has  at  length  found  his  way  into 
the  open  day  of  almost  universal  light.  The  caravans  of  the 
desert,  by  means  of  which  the  gums  and  spices,  the  ivory  and 
precious  stones  of  Asia  and  Africa,  were  brought  to  the  doors 
of  Europe,  have  given  place  to  the  ships  of  the  sea,  and  these, 
in  turn,  have  been  supplanted  by  steamers  of  a  magnitude  and 
power  that  are  the  admiration  of  an  age  which  science  and  art 
have  crowned  with  their  grandest  achievements. 

We  meet  here  to-night  to  do  honor  to  the  man  who  con¬ 
ceived  and  executed  the  design  of  uniting  the  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean  and  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  in  whose  presence  this 
evening  we  repeat  the  bans  of  a  projected  union  between  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans. 

Politicians,  and  even  statesmen,  may  proclaim  other  doctrines, 
but  an  educated  and  enlightened  people  will  ever  welcome  to  the 
shores  of  the  American  continent  the  genius,  the  skill,  and  the 
treasure  which  will  serve  to  widen  and  extend  the  sphere  of 
commerce,  and  make  it  all-embracing. 

Candor  obliges  me  to  add,  that  the  natural  difficulties  to  be 
overcome  in  the  prosecution  of  the  proposed  work  are  very 
formidable,  and  to  the  mind  of  a  layman  they  seem  to  be  insur¬ 
mountable  without  governmental  aid  ;  and  I  do  not  understand 


30 


THE  HE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


how  any  canal,  wherever  located,  could,  in  the  event  of  war, 
remain  under  American  control  as  against  the  European  navies 
of  modern  times. 


$  ms. 

First  to  hear  and  'proclaim  the  demands  of  the  age . 


ADDRESS  OF  DAYID  M.  STONE, 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF  OF  “  THE  NEW  YORK  JOURNAL  OF  COMMERCE.” 

Mr.  President,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen  :  I  shall  interrupt 
this  flow  of  eloquence  hut  a  few  brief  minutes  while  I  thank 
you  in  behalf  of  the  press  for  your  kind  recognition.  It  is  fit¬ 
ting,  perhaps,  that  I  should  be  called  on  to  speak  to  this  senti¬ 
ment,  for  I  am  almost  the  sole  remaining  link  between  the 
great  founders  of  the  metropolitan  press  and  their  younger  but 
not  less  gifted  successors.  [Applause.]  Hallock,  Raymond, 
Bennett,  Greeley,  Brooks,  and  Bryant  have  gone  on  before  me, 
leaving  me  as  the  patriarch  of  the  press  to  speak  for  two  gener¬ 
ations.  [Applause.]  But  the  press  is  represented  here  besides 
myself  in  noble  men  from  other  cities.  McMichael  and  others 
are  present,  and  near  me  sits  Mr.  Childs,  whose  name  is  a  house¬ 
hold  word  in  all  the  homes  of  America.  [Great  applause.]  The 
proclamations  of  the  press  are  usually  addressed  to  the  eye 
rather  than  to  the  ear,  and  it  might  be  wise  for  us  to  listen  to¬ 
night  and  speak  early  to-morrow  morning  from  the  printed 
page.  I  am  thankful  that  not  always  those  who  hear  the  quick¬ 
est  have  the  longest  ears  [laughter],  or  else  from  the  words  of 
your  toast  it  might  be  inferred  that  the  conductors  of  the  public 
press  have  those  enormous  appendages  which  are  not  always 
associated  with  the  highest  sagacity.  [Laughter.] 

The  open  ear,  the  open  heart,  the  open  hand — these  mark 
all  that  is  noblest  in  human  experience.  The  press,  so  far  as  it 


ADDRESS  OF  DAVID  M.  STONE. 


31 


is  true  to  its  high  mission,  is  the  first  to  hear  any  and  every 
appeal  which  each  succeeding  age  makes  to  its  servitors.  Not 
alone  as  historians  after  the  conflict  is  over,  but  as  trumpeters 
guiding  the  advance,  or  pioneers,  if  you  will,  in  the  thickest  of 
the  onset,  the  press  has  always  been  foremost  in  all  that  quick¬ 
ens  human  progress  or  tends  to  the  higher  culture  of  the  race. 
[Applause.]  Whether  it  is  a  nation  of  bondmen  struggling  for 
freedom  or  a  hungry  people  crying  out  for  bread,  the  leaders  of 
the  press  have  been  the  first  to  hear  and  respond  to  the  call. 
[Applause.]  In  science,  in  art,  in  commerce,  their  voice  has 
always  been  heard  from  the  front  calling  on  the  people  to  come 
up  to  their  ever-increasing  privileges. 

Four  thousand  years  ago  a  narrow  cut  was  made  from  the 
Red  Sea  to  the  Mediterranean.  It  was  but  an  outlet  for  the 
fresh  water  of  those  midland  lakes,  and  was  never  used  except 
for  purposes  of  irrigation.  Twenty-five  hundred  years  ago 
Pharaoh-Necho  conceived  and  partly  executed  the  project  of  a 
canal ;  but  there  was  no  press  in  those  days  [laughter],  and  the 
cut  was  lost  in  the  sands  of  the  desert.  In  our  age  the  attempt 
was  renewed :  the  press  took  up  the  call  and  echoed  it  on  every 
side,  and  the  hour  found  a  man  of  extraordinary  sagacity,  of 
indomitable  vigor,  of  tireless  energy,  to  respond  to  that  call. 
[Applause.]  Thus  Suez  was  opened,  and  a  new  highway  for 
commerce  to  the  East.  Columbus  made  a  new  path  across  the 
trackless  waste  to  a  new  world,  but  De  Lesseps  opened  a  new 
path,  where  the  mighty  Pharaoh  had  failed,  to  the  earliest  and 
oldest  home  of  the  race.  [Applause.] 

In  our  day  two  oceans  that  touch  each  other  only  at  the  far 
extremity  of  the  southern  continent  are  sighing  for  a  closer 
union.  Not  satisfied  with  the  iron  bands  with  which  we  have 
sought  to  wed  them  across  our  Western  fields,  they  are  strug¬ 
gling  to  divide  the  narrow  boundary  which  separates  them  from 
each  other  at  the  Isthmus,  and  to  mingle  their  waters  as  one 
main,  to  serve  the  commerce  they  bear  upon  their  billows. 
[Applause.]  It  matters  not  whether  this  cut  is  made  at  Pana¬ 
ma,  at  Nicaragua,  Tehuantepec,  or  by  way  of  the  Atrato,  so 
that  it  is  well  done  when  it  is  done,  and  there  is  no  obstacle  to 
the  flow  of  the  waters  together.  [Applause.]  Some  have  been 
afraid  of  any  foreign  interference  in  this  work.  I  am  not  afraid 


32 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


of  any  foreign  cooperation  in  the  interest  of  commerce.  Free 
trade  is  a  glorious  fellowship  the  world  over !  [Great  applause.] 
The  cluster  of  republics  at  or  near  the  Isthmus,  representatives 
of  which  I  am  happy  to  see  for  the  first  time  at  a  public  dinner 
in  New  York — with  which,  too,  we  are  coming  into  closer  rela¬ 
tions  with  each  succeeding  year  [applause] — have  sent  out  their 
call  inviting  the  world  to  the  task.  Let  our  great  sister  republic 
across  the  ocean,  bound  to  us  in  the  most  tender  and  loving  ties 
by  a  thousand  hallowed  associations,  send  over  here  her  great 
promoters  of  commerce,  her  lavish  outflow  of  treasure,  and  all 
the  mighty  forces  required  for  such  a  noble  work.  We  bid 
them  welcome  and  godspeed.  [Applause.]  If  the  governments 
of  Europe  attempt  to  follow  these  messengers  of  peace  with  the 
tax-gatherer,  the  tribute-seeker,  the  chiefs  who  levy  mail  and 
cripple  commerce  and  overturn  established  institutions,  why,  then 
it  will  be  time  to  take  down  from  its  hook,  where  it  has  idly 
hung  so  long,  the  old  Monroe  trumpet.  [Great  applause.]  If 
that  moment  ever  comes,  and  the  danger  is  real,  you  shall  find 
the  press  first  to  dut  the  trumpet  to  its  lips  and  give  the  note  of 
warning.  But  it  is  a  waste  of  energy  to  sound  the  charge  when 
there  is  no  foe  in  the  field.  [Applause.]  At  present  I  see  only 
commerce  spreading  her  white  wings  peacefully  over  all  the 
seas.  [Great  applause.] 


(Eugmtering. 

The  intermediate  power  between  nature  and  civilization. 

KEMABKS  OF  Me.  A.  L.  HOLLEY. 

Mr.  Chairman  :  The  sentiment  you  propose  so  completely 
defines  the  master  art  of  engineering  that  it  needs  no  historian, 
no  prophet,  no  defender.  It  were  better,  to-night,  that  we  mag¬ 
nify  its  splendid  achievements,  as  we  celebrate  the  advent  of  its 
illustrious  apostle.  It  is  such  grand  conceptions  as  his,  such 
triumphs  over  difficulty,  such  faithful  and  brilliant^ execution^ 


REMARKS  OF  MR.  A.  L.  HOLLEY. 


33 


that  draw  the  members  of  our  profession  to  him  ;  but  our  pro¬ 
fession  it  is  that  draws  the  whole  world  in  its  triumphal  march. 
The  ways  and  means  of  transportation,  of  mining,  metallurgy, 
manufactures,  defense,  agriculture,  architecture — all  the  round 
of  vital  and  useful  arts — are  but  phases  of  engineering  effort. 

But  engineers  are  not  proud ;  they  simply  can  not  help  it 
that  they  are  the  way,  the  vehicle,  the  power  of  civilization. 
They  even  acknowledge  the  incidental  value  of  other  profes¬ 
sions.  Chemistry  is  a  noble  art — full  of  promise — but  only  com¬ 
plementary  to  engineering.  Engineers  are,  for  this  reason, 
sometimes  complimentary  to  chemists.  Commerce,  banking, 
jurisprudence,  political  economy,  government,  are  more  or  less 
useful  systems — for  what?  For  formulating  and  realizing  the 
potentiality  of  engineering.  And  so  the  noble  art — stimulating 
labor,  promoting  comfort,  founding  prosperity,  diffusing  happi¬ 
ness,  establishing  knowledge — blends,  in  its  own  potency,  the 
aims  of  the  three  learned  professions  of  old,  and  itself  leads  on 
to  universal  health,  equity,  and  virtue. 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood,  sir,  as  claiming  much  for 
engineering ;  so  sensitive  is  the  modesty  of  my  colleagues  that 
they  would  not  tolerate  an  overstatement  of  its  claims. 

Viewed  from  my  own  department  of  the  profession,  there  is 
but  one  aspect  in  which  the  achievements  of  our  distinguished 
guest  are  not  supremely  beneficent.  He  delves  in  rock  and 
earth ;  alas !  he  constructs  not  in  iron  and  steel.  Unhappy  iron 
and  steel !  Could  he  but  restrain  his  insatiable  ambition  to  re¬ 
construct  this  planet ;  could  he  but  intersperse  his  mighty  works 
with  some  trifling  steel  railway  from  Hew  York  to  China ;  some 
trivial  steel  bridge  from  his  own  beloved  shores  to  Albion,  he 
would  be  enshrined  as  little  less  than  a  divinity,  even  in  Penn¬ 
sylvania.  But,  although  not  a  constructor  in  steel  himself,  he  is 
a  cause  of  steel  construction  in  others.  The  canal  breeds  ships. 

And  here  I  may,  perhaps,  be  permitted  to  emphasize  one 
engineering  condition  of  a  transcontinental  canal,  common  alike 
to  all  countries  and  to  all  routes.  The  ship  grows  from  year  to 
year.  The  early  Atlantic  steamers  were  of  a  thousand  tons ;  the 
building  Atlantic  steamers  are  of  eight  thousand  tons.  This 
growth  is  by  a  law  as  inevitable  as  that  of  the  tides.  Doubling 
the  lineal  dimensions  of  a  ship  increases  her  resistance  fourfold, 
3 


34 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


but  it  increases  her  carrying  capacity  eightfold.  The  larger 
ship  can  thus  transport  the  greater  cargo,  at  the  higher  speed, 
and  at  the  minimum  cost.  There  is  but  one  practical  limit  to 
this  economy — it  is  the  size  and  directness  of  the  water-way . 

I  was  not  called  upon,  however,  to  discuss  engineering,  but 
to  praise  it.  Do  we  ever  realize  the  gigantic  difficulties  it  over¬ 
comes — its  uncompromising  struggle  with  nature,  oft  baffled, 
ever  renewed,  to  ferret  out  the  secrets  of.  her  power?  Do  we 
ever  picture  to  ourselves  the  engineer,  toilfully  planting  his 
colossal  works  on  precipitous  mountains,  in  the  open  sea,  under 
the  river-bed,  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  on  bottomless  and 
pestilential  swamps — amid  perils  of  miasm  and  fire-damp,  wind 
and  wave,  caisson  and  explosion — with  every  toppling  avalanche, 
and  every  subterranean  stream,  and  every  pent-up  fresbet  just 
waiting  to  crack  his  bones  and  wipe  out  his  works  ? 

As  you  hold  on  to  some  headland  against  the  hurricane,  and 
feel  the  breakers  shake  the  masonry  of  nature,  his  steamship 
plows  its  huge  canal  through  forty  thousand  tons  of  that  mael¬ 
strom  in  one  single  minute,  with  the  coal  one  man  can  carry. 
The  treasure-house  of  nature  he  despoils  with  his  hydraulic 
engine ;  he  raises  from  the  dead  the  iron  she  had  burned  up 
through  the  ages.  He  disparts  her  continents  to  make  way  for 
his  argosies,  and  spans  her  sea  for  his  chariots  of  fire.  Thus  is 
engineering  truly  the  intermediate  power  between  nature  and 
civilization  ;  and  from  this  high  plane  we  recognize  the  guiding 
genius  of  our  illustrious  guest,  and  bid  him  hail ! 

But  the  genius  of  the  master  is  proved,  as  well,  by  the 
accomplishments  of  his  staff ;  the  splendid  professional  and 
executive  ability  of  his  staff  I  would  couple,  as  a  sentiment, 
with  the  name  of  an  engineer  whom  engineers  professionally 
admire — a  Dutchman  whom  New  Yorkers  instinctively  love — 
Herr  Dirks. 


REMARKS  OF  MR.  JUSTIN  DIRKS. 

Asking  your  indulgence  for  my  bad  English,  I  wish  to  ex¬ 
press  my  thanks  toward  you  and  also  toward  M.  de  Lesseps, 
who  procured  me  the  opportunity  and  enjoyment  of  visiting 


REMARKS  OF  MR.  JUSTIN  DIRKS. 


35 


this  metropolis  of  New  York  by  inviting  me  to  preside  over 
his  staff.  Before  the  representatives  of  the  several  trades  of 
this  city  I  will  be  excused  for  giving  a  few  figures  regarding 
the  saving  for  navigation  which  is  to  be  realized  by  the  opening 
of  the  Panama  Canal.  I  made  a  publication  in  Holland  about 
this  subject,  and  this  will  be  published  also  in  English,  for  the 
question  is  resting  too  much  on  hypotheses  and  not  enough  on 
fact  and  figure.  In  basing  my  calculations  on  the  well-known 
report  of  M.  Lavasseur,  I  find  for  the  trade  of  New  York  per 
year  : 


Tons. 

Saying  in  ' 
distance, 
miles. 

Saving  in 
millions  of 
ton-miles. 

To  China . 

321,000 

3,600 

3,100 

1,155 

Japan . 

170,000 

133,000 

867 

Australian  Archipelago . 

900 

119 

Australia  (Melbourne) . . . 

75,000 

20,000 

2,100 

157 

British  Columbia . 

6,450 

129 

San  Francisco . . . 

644,000 

644,000 

644,000 

6,600 

4,950 

4,250 

Peru . 

3,187 

1,642 

Chili . 

2,550 

6,600 

Western  Mexico  and  other  Western  ports . 

631,000 

86,000 

4,172 

490 

Sandwich  Islands . 

5,700 

1,440 

The  figures  for  Europe  are  : 

China  and  Japan . 

387,000 

558 

Totals . 

3,755,000 

43,990 

16,730 

From  information  given  by  the  European  companies  of  nav¬ 
igation,  which  have  about  twenty  steamers  running,  the  value 
of  one  thousand  ton-miles  may  be  reckoned,  including  wages, 
food,  coals,  insurance  and  such  expenses,  to  be  $1.  If  this  be 
correct,  the  yearly  saving  for  the  general  trade  of  the  world 
will  be  $16,750,000  when  the  Canal  is  built.  These  figures  are 
based  on  the  trade  of  1879,  so  there  may  be  allowed  a  good  per¬ 
centage  for  increase  during  the  construction  of  the  Canal.  More¬ 
over,  the  average  speed  of  vessels  along  the  old  and  new  routes 
was  considered  the  same,  though  the  speed  will  be  greater  in 
the  direction  of  the  Canal,  the  new  route  generally  crossing  a 
lesser  percentage  of  the  trade-winds,  and  not  having  to  meet  the 
difficulties  of  the  capes.  Finally,  the  cargoes  of  vessels  will  be 
a  shorter  time  out  of  trade,  and  the  loss  caused  by  damages  of 
long  sea  voyages  will  be  reduced.  Taking  all  these  into  account, 


36 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


I  place  the  value  of  the  Panama  Canal,  at  the  period  of  its  open¬ 
ing,  at  $30,000,000  per  year,  representing,  at  5  per  cent.,  a  capi¬ 
tal  of  $600,000,000. 

I  wish  to  propose,  gentlemen,  the  early  completion  of  the 
Panama  Canal.  [Applause.] 


^nkxmixaml 

Its  foundation  is  the  brotherhood  of  man ,  its  completion  will  be 
peace  and  good  will. 

ADDRESS  OF  DAVID  DUDLEY  FIELD. 

When  one  reflects  that  international  law  is  the  body  of  rules 
to  govern  the  intercourse  of  nations,  he  perceives  that  it  is  as 
important  and  extensive  as  the  intercourse  itself.  The  ship  of 
war  that  sails  from  this  harbor  to  carry  its  country’s  flag  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth ;  the  great  steamer  that  goes  out  laden  with 
travelers ;  the  whaler  that  is  to  seek  its  game  in  arctic  and  ant¬ 
arctic  seas  ;  the  little  fishing  craft  that  rocks  and  works  on  foggy 
banks  and  in  fields  of  ice — all  these  are  equally  covered  by  its 
protecting  wing. 

It  is  the  growth,  not  of  one  century,  but  of  many  centuries. 
Slowly  have  the  nations  yielded  to  its  influence.  Two  opposite 
policies  prevailed — the  policy  of  isolation  and  the  policy  of  in¬ 
tercourse.  China  and  Japan  present  the  latest  instances  of  the 
former ;  our  country,  at  least  until  lately,  was  the  most  signifi¬ 
cant  example  of  the  latter. 

We,  first  of  the  nations,  opened  the  gates  of  Japan.  We 
demanded  intercourse  of  the  rest  of  the  world  as  a  right,  we 
desired  it  as  a  benefit.  It  was  a  right  because  man  is  a  social 
being,  and  his  happiness  is  promoted  by  fellowship  with  his 
race,  and  because  the  products  of  the  earth  are  the  inheritance 
of  all  the  children  of  men. 

The  aims  of  international  law  are  peace  and  justice,  and 


ADDKESS  OF  DAVID  DUDLEY  FIELD. 


37 


these  are  promoted  by  intercourse  with  our  fellows.  It  is  with 
nations  as  with  individuals.  We  view  with  indifference  or  dis¬ 
trust  those  we  do  not  know ;  when  we  know  them,  we  find 
that  every  human  heart  is  human ;  we  see  good  where  we  had 
expected  evil,  and  we  discover  to  our  surprise  that  men  are 
everywhere  ready  to  interchange  benefits. 

The  instinct  of  justice  teaches  us  that  nations  are  equal  in 
rights,  as  the  individuals  who  compose  them  are  by  nature  equal. 
Before  the  law  of  nations  the  smallest  and  the  weakest  state 
stands  the  equal  of  the  largest  and  strongest.  A  bully  among 
nations  is  as  wicked  and  detestable  as  a  bully  among  men. 

To  multiply  the  facilities  of  intercourse  is  to  multiply  the 
agencies  of  peace.  Whoever  opens  a  new  highway,  by  land  or 
sea,  is  a  benefactor  of  men ;  and  if  he  places  it  under  the  protec¬ 
tion  of  the  nations  by  an  international  act,  he  gains  a  victory 
not  less  glorious  than  the  greatest  achievement  of  arms. 

Our  own  country  was  the  first  to  move  in  that  direction.  A 
great  European  publicist,  Sir  Travers  Twiss,  in  a  paper  read  two 
years  ago  before  the  Association  for  the  Reform  and  Codifica¬ 
tion  of  the  Law  of  Rations,  said  : 

“  The  New  World  has  in  this  matter  taken  the  lead  of  the 
Old  World,  and  the  treaty  of  Washington  of  the  19th  of  April, 
1850,  has  consecrated  a  principle  applicable  to  all  such  enter¬ 
prises  in  which  the  commerce  of  the  world  is  interested.  This 
principle  is,  that  those  great  industrial  works  shall  be  exempt 
from  all  injury  consequent  upon  disputes  between  particular 
nations,  when  they  appeal  to  the  arbitrament  of  the  sword  for 
the  settlement  of  such  disputes.’’ 

The  treaty  thus  mentioned  is  known  as  the  Clayton-Bulwer 
Convention,  made  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
in  respect  to  the  construction  of  a  canal  across  the  Isthmus  of 
Nicaragua,  and  declared  that  the  two  governments  were  deter¬ 
mined  to  give  their  support  and  encouragement  to  such  persons 
or  company  as  might  first  offer  to  commence  the  same  with  the 
necessary  capital,  the  consent  of  the.  local  authorities,  and  on 
such  principles  as  accord  with  the  spirit  and  intention  of  this 
Convention  ;  declaring  also  that  “  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
will  ever  maintain  for  itself  any  exclusive  control  over  the  said 
ship  canal  ”  ;  that  “  vessels  of  the  United  States  or  Great  Britain 


38 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


traversing  the  said  canal  shall,  in  case  of  war  between  the  con¬ 
tracting  parties,  he  exempted  from  blockade,  detention,  or  cap¬ 
ture,  by  either  of  the  belligerents ;  and  this  provision  shall  ex¬ 
tend  to  such  a  distance  from  the  two  ends  of  the  said  canal  as 
may  hereafter  be  found  expedient  to  establish  ”  ;  that  “  they 
will  guarantee  the  neutrality  thereof,  so  that  the  said  canal  may 
for  ever  be  open  and  free  ”  ;  that  they  will  “  invite  every  state 
with  which  both  or  either  have  friendly  intercourse  to  enter 
into  stipulations  with  them  similar  to  those  which  they  have  en¬ 
tered  into  with  each  other  ”  ;  and  that  “  having  not  only  desired, 
in  entering  into  this  Convention,  to  accomplish  a  particular  ob¬ 
ject,  but  also  to  establish  a  general  principle,  they  hereby  agree 
to  extend  their  protection  by  treaty  stipulations  to  any  other 
practicable  communications,  whether  by  canal  or  railway,  across 
the  isthmus  which  connects  North  and  South  America,  and  es¬ 
pecially  to  the  interoceanic  communications,  should  the  same 
prove  to  be  practicable,  whether  by  canal  or  railway,  which  are 
now  proposed  to  be  established  by  the  way  of  Tehuantepec  or 
Panama.” 

Though  this  Convention  of  thirty  years  ago  has  borne  no 
other  fruit,  it  has  consecrated  a  principle  which  will  stand  for 
ever  hereafter  firmly  imbedded  in  the  law  of  nations.  Under 
its  sanction  let  a  great  waterway  be  opened  from  ocean  to  ocean ; 
let  it  marry  the  waters  of  Europe  with  the  waters  of  Asia  ;  let 
it  bring  manifold  increase  to  the  commerce  and  comforts  of 
men,  not  for  this  age  only,  but  for  all  coming  ages ;  let  the  flags 
of  the  nations  salute  each  other  as  they  pass  and  repass  ;  but  let 
the  blood  of  man  never  redden  its  stream  or  the  waves  of  its 
inflowing  seas.  So  let  us  add  another  to  the  agencies  of  civili¬ 
zation,  and  take  one  more  stride  toward  “  the  good  time  coming.” 

And  if  the  illustrious  Frenchman,  whose  genius  and  indom¬ 
itable  will  have  opened  the  gates  of  the  East  through  the  sands 
of  Egypt,  shall  yet  open  the  gates  of  the  W est  through  the  Cor¬ 
dilleras  of  Darien,  he  will  earn  a  new  title,  greater  even  than 
the  old,  to  the  admiration  and  the  gratitude  of  the  generations 
to  come. 

Mr.  Field  was  cheered  heartily  at  the  conclusion  of  his  re¬ 
marks. 


ADDRESS  OF  DR,  HENRY  W.  BELLOWS. 


39 


®{xe  Jfmtitetions  0f  S>tima  xn  America* 

ADDRESS  OF  Dr.  HENRY  W.  BELLOWS. 

In  the  absence  of  the  learned  Presidents  of  Harvard,  Yale, 
and  Princeton,  expected  here,  and  who  would  have  responded 
with  authority  to  your  toast,  I,  an  inexpert,  and  with  no  right 
to  speak  in  the  name  of  science  or  its  schools,  am  suddenly 
called  upon  to  say  something  in  testimony  of  the  respect  which 
the  directors  of  this  banquet  feel  for  science  and  its  American 
schools ;  and  of  their  relations  to  the  project  which  our  honored 
guest  represents  in  so  distinguished  a  manner.  Fortunately  one 
branch  of  science  and  one  product  of  its  schools  has  been  most 
ingeniously  and  felicitously  presented  in  the  person  and  in  the 
witty  speech  of  Mr.  Holley,  who  has  clearly  proved  that  science 
knows  how  to  take  care  of  itself  in  America,  and  asks  little  rec¬ 
ognition  from  the  representatives  of  the  dependent  and  inferior 
departments  of  literature  and  arts !  Mr.  Holley’s  appearance 
and  speech  have  recalled  the  memory  of  one  who,  by  an  infer¬ 
ence  from  his  eloquence  and  wit,  I  think  must  have  been  an 
ancestor  or  certainly  a  connection  of  his — the  once  famous  Dr. 
Holley,  of  Boston,  who  was  among  the  very  first  to  transfer  the 
culture  and  learning  of  the  East  to  our  W estern  wilds.  Called 
fifty  years  or  more  ago  to  the  presidency  of  Transylvania  Uni¬ 
versity  in  Kentucky,  from  Boston,  where  he  had  maintained  a 
very  high  reputation  in  oratory  and  accomplishments,  he  was 
asked  what  books  he  should  carry  with  him  %  “  First,  a  dic¬ 

tionary,”  he  replied,  and  it  must  have  been  an  English  one ; 
“  second,  a  dictionary,”  and  it  was  probably  a  French  one;  and 
“  third,  a  dictionary,”  it  may  have  been  a  Spanish  one.  The 
astute  doctor  meant  to  say  that  there  was  but  one  language,  un¬ 
der  many  forms ;  one  truth,  in  many  robes ;  and  that  all  science 
and  all  literature  at  last  resolve  themselves  into  principles  that 
know  neither  latitude  nor  longitude,  tongue  nor  race,  but  are 
interchangeable  by  the  aid  of  the  dictionaries  across  all  boun¬ 
daries,  east  and  west,  all  oceans,  and  all  climes.  And  so  it  is 


40 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


with  science  and  its  schools.  There  are  American  schools  of 
science,  but,  happily,  no  schools  of  American  science. 

Science  has  her  dictionaries  and  her  representatives  in  all 
tongues,  but  she  has  no  nationality,  and  sails  under  no  one  flag. 
Like  the  ocean  variously  named  for  the  shores  it  bathes,  it  is 
always  one.  We  talk  of  uniting  the  oceans  !  They  are  one  to 
begin  with,  and  all  Aye  can  do  is  to  make  shorter  cuts  from  one 
part  to  another  of  the  inseparable  unity.  It  is  so  with  science  ! 
That,  among  its  noblest  representatives,  knows  no  lineage  of 
country  or  tongue,  recognizes  one  great  fellowship  and  com¬ 
munity  of  truth,  and  hails  as  its  own  brother  whoever  articu¬ 
lates  its  discoveries  or  unveils  its  secrets,  in  whatever  age  or 
clime  or  tongue. 

What  to  the  man  of  science,  what  to  science  itself,  is  the 
question  whether  Leverrier  or  Adams  first  observed  the  disturb¬ 
ing  force  of  Neptune,  and  predicted  the  appearance  of  the  power¬ 
ful  stranger — true  to  the  appointment  of  prophetic  science,  at  a 
certain  place  and  time — and  thus  made  the  faith  of  science  fulfill 
itself?  Interesting  to  rival  astronomers  the  question  maybe; 
nay,  to  rival  countries,  fitly  jealous  of  the  fame  of  their  scien¬ 
tists  ;  but  science  belongs  to  humanity,  and  humanity  knows  no 
jealousies  and  petty  personal  squabbles  even  over  scientific 
crowns.  She  is  a  democrat,  and  preserves  her  laurels  for  the 
truth  and  the  fact,  the  principle,  the  discovery.  Trojan  or 
Tyrian  are  to  her  indifferent.  Find  the  truth,  prove  the  princi¬ 
ple,  establish  the  fact,  answer  the  riddle — in  Greek,  Latin,  Eng¬ 
lish,  French,  anyhow — that  can  be  translated  into  the  universal 
language  of  algebra  or  chemistry,  and  you  shall  be  adopted 
into  all  nations — a  son  of  the  universal  parent  of  the  race — a  child 
of  science — his  universal  speech. 

It  is  becoming  to  the  occasion  to  disclaim  the  nationality  of 
science,  here,  in  the  presence  of  French,  Dutch,  Spanish,  Eng¬ 
lish,  American  engineers,  who  by  community  of  action  and 
mutual  respect  have  done  so  much  to  promote  international 
works,  and  are  proposing  together  to  accomplish  still  greater 
ones.  And  it  is  always  enlarging  and  refreshing — in  view  of  the 
partisan  squabbles  and  theological  or  rather  sectarian  wrang- 
lings  and  animosities  of  the  world,  and  its  tribes  and  cliques — to 
fall  back  upon  the  peace  of  the  multiplication  table — the  truce 


ADDRESS  OF  DR.  HENRY  W.  BELLOWS. 


41 


of  God,  in  the  demonstrated  and  calmly  fixed  and  certain  things 
that  are  no  longer  at  the  mercy  of  speculation,  and  are  beyond  the 
disputation  of  schools.  Science  has  her  own  doubts  and  diffi¬ 
culties,  her  yet  unknown  and  unexplored  lands,  her  puzzles  and 
mysteries ;  but  she  has  her  terra  firma  too — her  fixed  and 
known,  because  surveyed  and  finally  described  and  inclosed 
regions.  And  thanks  to  those  great  unifying  minds  that  have 
discovered  universal  principles,  whether  of  gravitation  or  of  one¬ 
ness  of  constitution  in  all  worlds,  or  oneness  of  plan  in  nature 
— whether  it  be  Newton,  Kepler,  Bunsen,  Kirchkoff,  Helmholtz, 
Huxley,  Faraday,  Owen,  Agassiz,  Henry,  Marsh — thanks  to  all 
and  every  one  that  make  us  feel  how  infinitely  superior  what 
is  common  and  universal  is  to  what  is  local,  temporary,  acciden¬ 
tal — for  he  is  a  man  who  belongs  to  the  world  and  the  race  ;  no 
Frenchman,  no  American,  no  Italian,  no  German — but  greater 
than  all — in  the  simple  title  of  a  man — and  own  brother  to  all 
men  everywhere. 

When  the  transit  of  Yenus  was  to  be  observed,  nations  vied 
with  each  other  in  friendly  rivalry,  to  see  who  should  do  most 
to  increase  the  accuracy  of  the  measurement  of  the  distance  be¬ 
tween  the  earth  and  its  great  visible  parent  the  sun — the  mate¬ 
rial,  sublime  symbol,  though  the  infinitely  unworthy  represen¬ 
tative  of  the  unseen  Being  who  hung  it  in  its  place  as  easily  as 
men  hang  up  a  lantern  in  their  entries.  It  was  a  glorious  thing 
to  see  the  enthusiasm  of  scientists,  equal  to  the  sacrifices  re¬ 
quired,  and  a  noble  tribute  to  the  unidolatrous  worship  which 
the  scientific  Apollo  receives  in  all  tongues  and  classes.  W e  are 
all  alike  interested  in  knowing  just  how  near  and  just  how  far 
that  deity  is,  for,  if  the  earth  should  nod  her  pole  ever  so  little 
in  the  sleep  of  science — not  wide-awake  to  her  charge — we  might 
find  the  sun  playing  one  of  his  old  tricks  anew,  and  melting  out 
the  northern  pole  and  freezing  up  the  trojncs.  Let  American  and 
all  other  schools  of  science  consider  that  we  want  due  warning 
if  any  such  considerable  changes  of  climate  are  under  considera¬ 
tion  in  the  sun’s  cabinet !  The  least  whispers  from  that  shrine 
are  worth  the  keenest  ear  that  science  can  apply  in  nightly 
watches,  or  stealings  by  the  telescope  on  the  unguarded  mutter- 
ings  of  the  sun’s  nearest  attendants;  and  Yenus  has  not  seldom 
been  known  to  be  the  betrayer  of  court  secrets. 


42 


i 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 

And  when  the  secret  of  the  north  pole,  and  what  the  state 
of  his  immediate  temperature  is — and  his  magnetism,  and 
whether  he  is  ready  to  act  as  white  rod  in  the  procession  of 
commerce  through  his  frozen  seas,  and  betray  the  Thermopylse 
that  defends  his  dominions  by  some  showing  of  a  secret  path¬ 
way  round  the  ice-rocked  pass — came  up,  what  a  flutter  of  sails, 
what  a  rivalry  of  enterprise,  what  a  fleet  of  obstinate  little  ice- 
cutters,  what  a  rally  of  heroic  Northmen — vikings  of  battle — 
have  we  seen  from  all  the  great  and  some  of  the  smaller  nations, 
recognizing  the  cry  of  science  to  her  children  to  drop  all  meaner 
things  and  join  the  crusade  against  the  pole  !  What  success  for 
commerce  has  been  or  will  be  achieved  is  yet  uncertain.  But 
there  has  been  one  grand  success.  It  has  been  the  magnani¬ 
mous  readiness  to  ignore  national  pride  and  recognize  heroic 
scientific  enterprise  from  any  quarter ;  and  the  world  has  not, 
as  is  too  often  seen,  reserved  all  its  praise  for  success.  It  has 
cheerfully  paid  it,  also,  where  success  was  deserved,  if  not 
achieved. 

There  are  many  souvenirs  connected  with  this  occasion  for 
us  older  men.  In  speaking  of  the  community  of  science,  I  am 
reminded  of  the  community  of  liberty ;  and  that  recalls  the 
image  of  a  friend  of  liberty,  and  therefore  of  America,  who,  in 
my  childhood — and  it  must  have  been  about  the  time  when 
the  Monroe  doctrine  was  declared  (1823-’24),  came  to  see  the 
country  to  which,  long  before,  he  had  offered  his  sword  and  his 
heart — Lafayette,  the  friend  of  Washington  and  of  our  Revolu¬ 
tion  !  I  recall  his  face  and  his  very  dress — nankeen  trousers  and 
gaiters  and  vest,  and  a  frogged  surtout — as  he  bent  his  benevo¬ 
lent  face  upon  the  children  of  the  common  schools  of  Boston, 
drawn  up  in  file  to  see  the  nearest  and  dearest  friend  of  the 
Father  of  his  Country.  I  almost  seem  to  see  him  again  (per¬ 
haps  only  from  some  identity  of  Gallic  expression)  in  the  fea¬ 
tures  of  our  guest,  as  he  sheds  his  benignant  smile  upon  the  de¬ 
scendants  of  the  fathers  to  whom  the  French  patriots,  and  La¬ 
fayette  especially,  were  as  brothers. 

But,  Mr.  President,  I  wander.  There  is  another  community, 
the  community  of  interests  to  which  engineering  science,  as 
Mr.  Holley  has  proved,  is  the  essential  and  most  direct  friend — 
that  fellowship  of  nations  which  are  cemented,  if  I  ought  not 


ADDRESS  OF  DR.  HENRY  W.  BELLOWS. 


43 


rather  to  say  melted,  into  one,  by  the  freedom  and  the  equality 
of  commerce,  the  removal  of  obstacles  natural  or  artificial  to  its 
course ;  and  among  these  obstacles,  the  most  obstinate  of  all, 
false  political  economy,  the  fallacies  of  protection,  and  the  lum¬ 
bering  rubbish  of  a  multitudinous  list  of  taxable  imports ;  and 
worse  than  this,  the  sensitive  and  self -destroying  jealousies, 
which  prevent  the  world  and  the  nations  from  seeing  that  they 
have  an  identical  interest  in  promoting  universal  peace,  univer¬ 
sal  liberty,  and  universal  education  ;  that  it  is  all  a  puerile  folly 
to  think  that  everything  one  nation  gains  another  loses ;  that 
everything  one  loses  another  gains ;  that  every  sound  and  per¬ 
manent  bargain  must  not  be  beneficial  to  both  and  all  parties  to 
it ;  that  treaties  that  are  unjust  do  not  contain  their  own  frac¬ 
ture  in  their  cunningest  seams ;  that  frankness  and  honor  are  not 
the  only  skilled  diplomats,  and  that  wars  of  conquest  and  an¬ 
nexation  and  invasion  are  not  miserable  substitutes  for  the  vic¬ 
tories  of  peace — the  welcome  and  auspicious  annexations  effect¬ 
ed  by  a  genuine  commerce,  which  weaves  silken  cords  around 
nations,  and  makes  them  fortunate  tributaries  to  powers  that 
can  increase  and  multiply  their  wealth  and  their  comfort.  I 
would  not  be  extravagant  in  my  hopes,  for  I  know  the  slowness 
of  men  to  understand  their  own  interests  !  W ould  to  God  self- 
interest  were  a  tenth  part  as  powerful  as  those  who  despise  hu¬ 
manity  are  fond  of  asserting  it  to  be  !  “  If,”  said  Butler  in  his 

“  Analogy,”  66  conscience  had  might  as  it  has  right,  it  would  rule 
the  world.”  If  self-interest  were  understood,  or  even  if  it  were 
not  overruled  when  understood ,  by  passion,  envy,  pride,  precipi¬ 
tation,  it  would  proclaim  eternal  and  universal  peace.  But 
though  self-interest  is  a  slow  bond,  it  is  a  sure  one,  and  it  grows 
stronger  and  stronger  every  age.  But  I  know  nothing  that  has 
enlightened  self-interest  so  much,  and  brought  the  sorrows  and 
perils  of  international  hatreds  and  war  into  such  an  odious  light, 
as  the  spread  of  commerce  !  And  God  knows  that  national 
jealousies,  old  feuds,  new  ambitions  are  the  chief  scourges  of 
humanity ;  that  the  standing  armies  they  create  are  the  great 
devourers  of  widows  and  children ;  and  the  wars  they  provoke 
bury  under  taxes  the  millions  they  do  not  bury  in  battle-fields. 
It  is  the  hoof  of  these  standing  armies  that  is  now  most  deeply 
wounding  the  breast  of  humanity — the  cannon’s  weight  that  is 


44 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


pressing  heaviest  upon  the  heart,  and  keeping  down  the  rising 
hope  of  better  times  for  the  common  people.  I  hate  them  and 
all  their  works  and  ways ;  and  the  devil,  and  not  the  Father  of 
Jesns,  is  the  true  god  of  battles.  It  is  the  Lord  of  the  peace¬ 
ful  hosts  of  industry  that  Christ  calls  to  the  help  of  the  mighty. 
It  is  hell  that  is  really  invoked  when  nations  rage  furiously 
against  each  other.  It  is  the  survival  of  the  wild  beast  in  us 
that  enjoys  and  riots  in  blood  and  bones.  Ah  !  when  shall  the 
spear  be  turned  into  the  pruning-hook  ?  Not,  though  all  the 
world  were  one  succession  of  Peace  Societies  and  one  great  army 
of  missionaries,  until  nations  are  bound  together  by  commercial 
enterprises,  free  trade,  and  the  freest  cooperation  of  common 
interests ;  not  until  there  is  such  a  perfect  interweaving  of  in¬ 
terests,  and  such  a  perfect  inter  matting  of  mutual  dependencies, 
that  universal  peace  is  everybody’s  interest,  and  his  interest  is 
brought  home  to  him  by  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  stock-market, 
made  essentially  one  and  the  same  for  all  the  world.  It  seems 
a  mean  security — that  of  selfish  interests !  But  I  am  confident 
that  God  has  not  planted  self-love  so  deeply  in  man  without  an 
object,  and  that  selfishness  is  capable  of  a  glorification  by  a  bet¬ 
ter  understanding  of  its  causes  and  its  outcome,  which  will  make 
us  more  willing  to  trust  the  elevation  as  well  as  the  security  of 
man  to  commerce,  which,  having  been  usually  the  best  mission¬ 
ary  of  religion,  is  destined  to  become  the  great  apostle  of  peace  ! 
It  is  a  certain  fact  that  intercourse,  acquaintance,  facility  of 
transit ,  and  habit  of  intertrading  make  the  prejudices  and  ha¬ 
treds  that  lead  to  war  less  possible.  Every  Englishman  that 
comes  to  America  for  trade  or  for  curiosity  carries  home  a  bond 
of  peace  in  his  heart,  and  adds  to  the  prospects  of  a  good  under¬ 
standing  in  any  difficulties  with  us  and  Great  Britain  about 
fisheries  or  tariffs,  and  every  dollar  invested  in  our  bonds  or  in 
the  ships  that  fetch  and  carry  for  us  is  a  pledge  of  peace.  I 
am  not  concerned  about  having  our  shipyard  on  the  Clyde,  and 
not  on  the  Kennebec  or  Penobscot,  so  long  as  England  has  her 
wheat-field's  in  Illinois.  I  don’t  care  how  closely  nations  become 
interdependent.  The  old  notion  of  having  everything  at  hand 
and  on  hand  and  within  ourselves,  because  of  the  possible  con¬ 
sequences  in  a .  war,  has  made  the  very  wars  it  was  guarding 
against  the  results  of  !  I  wish  all  the  “  villainous  saltpeter  ”  in 


ADDRESS  OF  DR.  HENRY  W.  BELLOWS. 


45 


the  earth  were  owned  by  the  Quakers,  and  that  they  would  not 
sell  a  pound  of  it,  except  under  bonds  to  Mr.  de  Lesseps  and  his 
like,  to  use  for  rock-blasting  purposes  !  I  wish  every  nation  had 
so  much  at  stake  in  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  every  other  na¬ 
tion  that  it  could  not  think  of  fighting,  until  every  expedient 
had  been  exhausted  by  arbitration.  You  think,  perhaps,  we 
should  then  lack,  spirit,  heroism,  greatness,  generals,  and  heroes  ! 
Well,  military  genius  and  greatness  ought  to  be  admired ,  see¬ 
ing  it  can  so  seldom  be  blessed  ;  seeing  it  costs  so  much  to  make 
one  military  hero,  whose  triumphs  are  over  seas  of  tears  and 
blood.  But  the  day  is  coming  when  peace  will  have  her  victo¬ 
ries  greater  than  war ;  when  the  inventors,  the  benefactors,  the 
way-openers,  the  peace-makers,  will  take  their  turn  at  glory  j 
when  he  who  carries  peaceful  generations  through  the  Alpine 
tunnels  will  be  greater  than  he  who  carries  hostile  armies  in 
winter  over  the  summits  of  the  Alps.  Fighting  seas,  and  ice, 
and  sand,  and  mountain  ranges,  in  the  interest  of  human  inter¬ 
course,  will  honor  men  and  develop  courage  and  self-sacrifice, 
which  will  outtell  and  outlive  all  the  glories  in  that  dreadful 
trade,  that  with  one  foot  on  a  rolling  shell,  and  the  other  on  a 
fresh  corpse,  beckons  Alexander,  Caesar,  Napoleon,  to  take  in 
turn  the  bloody  cup  and  quaff  in  its  glory  the  curses  of  widows 
and  children,  and  the  groans  of  labor,  and  the  despair  of  virtue, 
and  the  distrust  of  a  God  of  love  and  justice ! 

It  is  as  an  apostle  of  peace — because  an  ally  of  international 
commerce — that  I  would  hail  M.  de  Lesseps.  No  ravening  vul¬ 
ture,  with  bloody  beak  and  claw,  could  have  my  honor,  flew 
he  ever  so  proudly  across  our  sky!  It  is  the  white-winged 
dove  of  commerce  that  we  hail  and  welcome  in  him  and  his 
project.  It  is  a  project  not  of  fear  and  dread,  founded  in  mili¬ 
tary  jealousies,  but  of  faith  and  hope  resting  on  the  growing 
sense  of  the  unity  of  human  interests,  which  is  more  and  more 
articulate  in  commerce  as  it  better  understands  its  errand  and 
its  own  success. 

Never  did  Nature  seem  to  throw  down  her  glove  with  a 
more  obvious  challenge  than  in  the  Isthmus  of  Panama !  The 
taunt  or  the  directness  of  the  defiance  has  been  felt  for  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  if  not  longer.  But  the  glove,  though 
examined  in  all  its  fingers,  has  not  been  taken  up !  It  looks  as 


46 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


if  the  Creator  had,  by  his  great  molding  and  cutting  instru¬ 
ments,  the  winds  and  waves,  really  nearly  completed  the  canal, 
a  strait  he  meant  to  place,  just  at  that  most  vital  point !  He 
had  thinned  away  the  continent  on  both  sides  until  the  dash  of 
the  waves  from  either  ocean  might  be  heard  mingling  their 
hoarse  voices,  or  some  bold  traveler,  erect  “upon  a  peak  in 
Darien,”  might  see  at  once  the  gleam  of  the  separated  waters. 
But  it  is  as  if  just  at  this  point  he  had  paused  and  said  to  him¬ 
self  :  “  What  I  can  do  with  one  stroke  of  my  finger,  I  will  leave 
to  my  son  Humanity,  to  test  his  whole  courage  and  heroism 
upon  !  The  world  is  built  not  for  the  glory  of  Him  who  made 
the  stars,  but  to  nurse  the  powers  of  God’s  children ;  and  for 
the  education  of  science  and  art,  and  for  the  schooling  of  com¬ 
merce  and  the  glory  of  humanity,  I  will  leave  this  work  to  man. 
Here  shall  stand  these  rocky  gates,  unopened,  right  in  the  natu¬ 
ral  patlrway  of  the  future  commerce  of  the  world !  Here  these 
adamantine  doors  shall  hang,  unhinged,  unturned,  until  Human¬ 
ity  develops  faith,  courage,  and  fellowship  enough  to  burst 
them  open,  in  the  interests  of  universal  peace  and  international 
life  !  That  day  will  come  !  Some  De  Lesseps  shall  stand  here, 
and  speak  the  open  sesame  of  science  and  engineering  art — the 
true  legend  of  peace — and  the  doors,  not  on  harmonious  hinges, 
but  on  thunderbolts  of  detonating  powder,  shall  fly  apart,  and 
righteousness  and  peace  shall  kiss  each  other,  as  the  angry  Atlan¬ 
tic  drops  his  violent  arms  to  embrace  the  gentle  Pacific — the 
future,  brighter,  safer  sea  of  the  new  front  of  the  world !  ”  By 
chance  we  turned  our  capital  round,  its  back  door  front.  We 
shall  do  a  stranger  thing  than  that !  W e  shall  make  the  Pacific 
ocean  the  scene  of  the  commerce  that  has  hitherto  left  it  the 
quiet  home  of  seals  and  gulls !  I  have  sailed  it  for  days  with¬ 
out  meeting  a  single  vessel.  Should  the  isthmus  be  pierced,  and 
it  certainly  will  be,  our  children  will  see  the  Pacific  swarming 
with  the  ships  of  all  nations,  and  the  Atlantic  largely  deprived, 
by  the  use  of  its  more  southern  paths,  of  the  power  to  affright 
and  baffle  the  commerce  of  the  world. 

I  am  struck,  as  all  must  be,  with  the  magnificent  freshness, 
enterprise,  and  youth  of  the  man  who  sits  here  crowned  with 
the  triumph  of  a  desperate  but  successful  victory  over  the 
divorce  of  Europe  and  Africa — the  maker  of  the  Suez  Canal — 


ADDRESS  OF  DR.  HENRY  W.  BELLOWS. 


47 


and  who  sighs,  in  the  extra  decade  of  human  life  granted  to  few, 
to  marry  the  parted  oceans  of  the  world  together  in  the  West¬ 
ern  hemisphere.  He  is  an  illustrious  example  of  the  rejuvena- 
tory  power  of  lofty  conceptions.  “  Give  me  a  great  thought  to 
support  me,”  said  the  dying  Herder  to  the  friends  that  sur¬ 
rounded  his  couch  !  Just  about  the  time  men  usually  turn  their 
faces  to  the  wall  and  give  up  the  ghost,  De  Lesseps  seems  to 
have  said,  u  Give  me  a  purpose  worthy  of  immortality,  and  I 
will  recommence  my  youth,”  And  the  Lord  heard  him ;  he 
got  back  twenty  years,  by  abolishing  the  sandy  isthmus  between 
the  Mediterranean  and  the  Red  Sea,  and  has  all  the  time  he 
saved  navigators  added  to  his  life.  He  will  get  back  (he  has 
half  of  them  in  hand)  twenty  more,  by  breaking  the  ban  that 
separates  the  Atlantic  from  the  Pacific!  Who  shall  tell  the 
sympathy  the  ever-young  powers  of  nature  and  grace  have  with 
those  who  trust  their  inspiration,  and  become  the  channels  and 
instruments  of  their  vast  purposes  ?  The  tides  of  youth  rush 
into  the  aged  veins  that  open  to  fresh  inspirations !  Death  is 
abolished  for  those  who  have  not  time  to  die,  and  the  most 
urgent  and  disinterested  purposes  still  to  live  for.  Old  age 
retires  before  the  heart  of  youth  that  lives  behind  its  mask,  and 
the  true  Faust  drinks  an  elixir,  not  from  the  hands  of  the  devil, 
but  from  the^chalice  of  God,  when  he  accepts  the  conditions  of 
restored  youth  and  beauty — the  carrying  out  of  divine  purposes 
against  obstacles  before  which  timidity  and  self-love  have  quailed 
and  become  servile,  but  which  yield  themselves  gladly  to  be 
carried  through  by  faith  and  invincible  hope,  and  then  give 
their  own  youth  to  those  who  ignore  age  and  death  in  the  un¬ 
dertaking  ! 

When  I  was  young  and  a  student  of  the  classics,  the  only 
isthmus  we  knew,  and  it  needed  no  other  name,  was  the  isthmus. 
It  was  at  Corinth — where  I  have  since  been — and  united  the 
Peloponnesus  with  the  main  continent  of  ancient  Hellas.  There, 
as  if  by  a  certain  instinct  of  the  meaning  of  isthmuses,  the 
Greeks  had  for  ages  placed  the  scene  of  their  Isthmian  games 
— like  the  Olympian — the  strife  in  athletic  and  gymnastic  skill 
and  strength — adorned  with  recitations  in  verse — among  those 
who  contended  for  honors,  and  a  place  for  their  statues  in  the 
great  temple  of  Heptune  near  by.  The  Athenians  held  by 


48 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


prescription  the  seats  of  price  at  these  spectacles.  Sisyphus 
and  Theseus  were  boasted  of  as  their  founder  and  perpetuator. 
They  did  not  know  that  they  were  only  preluding  games  greater 
than  their  own ;  that  a  striver  more  wonderful  than  any  Greek 
athlete  would  one  day  run  a  race  and  make  a  wrestle  for  the 
victory  over  the  main  isthmuses  of  the  globe,  and  become  the 
greatest  hero  of  Isthmian  games  that  verse  ever  sung !  And,  if 
we  have  no  sufficient  place  in  our  temples  of  Neptune — the 
commercial  exchanges  of  the  world — for  his  statue,  we  will  give 
him  a  holier  shrine  !  W e  will  place  him  in  the  temple  of  eter¬ 
nal  memory — in  the  heart  of  humanity — the  only  place  worthy 
for  those  who  create  and  preserve  the  peace  of  the  world,  and 
design  and  achieve  the  works  that  abolish  distance  and  time, 
and  give  the  scattered  nations  the  sense  of  the  oneness  of 
humanity — alike  the  glory  of  God  and  man ! 

I  can  not  sit  down  without  thanking  you  for  your  patient 
hearing.  I  hope  M.  De  Lesseps  will  never  have  to  pierce  the 
stony  isthmus  that  separates  a  public  orator  at  midnight  from  a 
tired  and  over-filled  audience  at  a  dinner-table  like  this.  If  I 
have  done  it  in  any  degree,  it  is  due  to  the  favor  with  which 
hopeful  and  generous  thoughts  are  always  welcomed  by  New 
Yorkers.  I  will  repay  your  endurance  and  generosity  by  in¬ 
troducing  Mr.  Gowan,  President  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Read¬ 
ing  Railroad,  who  I  am  sure  is  too  well  known  and  too  much 
liked  to  have  any  risk  in  again  appealing  to  your  jaded  attention. 


Aran  anir  ftatrjr. 

REMARKS  BY  General  SCHOFIELD. 

General  Schofield,  in  response,  said  that  it  seemed  to  him 
this  was  a  time  in  which  little  should  be  said  for  the  army  and 
nothing  by  it  (laughter),  and  he  would  only  say  that  he  hoped 
the  grand  enterprise  they  were  there  to  celebrate  would  be  done, 
so  that  the  soldier  could  continue  to  smoke  his  cigar  in  peace, 
and  not  be  called  upon  to  interfere.  (Applause  and  laughter.) 


ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 


49 


American  ^xojttiors  oi  mi  Isthmian  €mnl. 

ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 

In  addition  to  the  high  considerations  of  personal  respect 
for  onr  distinguished  guest,  and  the  eminent  gentlemen  accom¬ 
panying  him  to  the  United  States,  I  am  sure  those  who  have 
embarked  their  time,  hopes,  and  fortunes  in  the  prosecution  of 
a  great  enterprise  will  appreciate  the  pleasure  with  which  I 
join  the  citizens  of  New  York  in  extending  to  them  a  hearty 
welcome. 

Through  the  experience  and  powerful  influence  of  M.  de 
Lesseps,  whose  name  is  justly  celebrated  in  both  hemispheres, 
we  may  anticipate  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  the  project 
of  uniting  the  two  oceans  by  canal,  which  bold  and  enterprising 
men  have  struggled  for,  will  be  realized. 

It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say,  the  grandest  and  most  impor¬ 
tant  enterprise  of  this  age  of  engineering  marvels  is  that  which 
assumes  to  give  a  sea-level  canal  across  the  American  Isthmus, 
through  which  all  classes  of  ocean  steam  and  sailing  vessels 
may  pass  quickly  without  the  delays,  expenses,  and  dangers  of 
lockage. 

No  intelligent  person  can  fail  to  see  that  the  execution  of 
such  a  work  deeply  interests  the  commercial  growth  and  pros¬ 
perity  of  all  nations,  especially  ours.  It  would  place  the  United 
States  geographically  in  the  center  of  the  trade  of  the  world — 
bring  the  vast  commerce  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  the  East  to 
our  very  doors,  stimulate  and  build  up  trade  in  localities  where 
it  now  has  no  existence,  renew  the  freedom  of  international 
relations  on  the  grandest  scale,  and  do  much  toward  making 
New  York  the  chief  commercial  emporium  of  the  world. 

The  sailing  distance  saved  by  the  canal  between  New  York 
and  San  Francisco,  over  Cape  Horn  route,  would  be  about 
14,000  miles  ;  between  New  York  and  Panama,  11,000  miles ; 
Callao,  10,000  miles  ;  Valparaiso,  8,000  miles  ;  Guayaquil,  10,000 
miles  ;  Sandwich  Islands,  9,000  miles ;  Australia,  5,000  miles  ; 

4 


50 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


Canton,  10,000  miles ;  Shanghai,  11,000  miles ;  Calcutta,  9,000 
miles  ;  and  to  other  trading  ports  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  the  dis¬ 
tance  saved  would  be  according  to  locality. 

From  careful  statistics,  made  by  me  in  1858,  it  was  shown 
that  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  would  save  then ,  by 
the  use  of  the  canal,  in  insurance,  freights,  interest,  wear 
and  tear  of  ships,  and  other  expenses,  $35,995,930 ;  England 
would  save  $9,950,348  ;  France,  $2,183,930  ;  other  countries, 
$1,400,000  ;  thus  making  an  annual  saving  to  the  commerce  of 
the  world  of  $49,530,208. 

Estimating  the  average  value  of  ships  at  $50  per  ton,  the 
total  value  of  vessels  and  cargoes  which  would  pass  annually 
through  the  canal  was  as  follows  :  United  States,  $193,168,937  ; 
England,  $190,649,584;  France,  $67,210,609;  other  countries, 
$16,802,000  ;  making  a  total  of  $467,831,130. 

During  the  ten  years  previous  to  1858  the  ocean  trade  of 
the  United  States  increased  93  per  cent.,  England  110  per  cent., 
and  France  130  per  cent. ;  thus  showing  how  rapidly  the  com¬ 
merce  of  the  latter  country  was  encouraged  and  built  up  in  the 
excellent  reign  of  Napoleon  III. 

Throwing  out  of  consideration  all  of  Europe’s  trade  with 
British  India  and  China,  which  would  go  through  the  Suez 
Canal,  I  claimed  for  the  American  Isthmus  Canal  the  follow¬ 
ing  tonnage  :  United  States,  1,857,485  tons ;  England,  1,629,295 
tons  ;  France,  162,735  tons  ;  other  countries,  44,555  tons  ;  total, 
3,094,070  tons,  which  could  be  depended  upon  in  1858. 

From  the  carefully  prepared  statistics  of  the  Paris  Canal 
Congress,  in  May  last,  it  was  shown  that  the  tonnage  ten  years 
hence  would  amount  to  6,000,000  tons,  thus  showing  an  increase 
of  3,000,000  tons  during  thirty  years.  At  this  rate  of  increase 
there  are  boys  now  walking  the  streets  of  our  city  who  will  live 
to  see  from  fifteen  to  twenty  million  tons  of  shipping  pass  an¬ 
nually  through  the  canal. 

With  these  important  considerations  before  us,  continually  in¬ 
creasing  in  magnitude,  what  does  the  expenditure  of  $50,000,000, 
more  or  less,  signify  in  building  a  deep ,  wide ,  sea-level  canal, 
with  good  natural  harbors,  easy  to  reach  during  any  condition 
of  the  tides  or  winds,  and  which  for  capacity  and  durability 
shall  last  and  satisfy  the  ever-expanding  wants  of  trade  for  all 


ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 


51 


time  ?  This  is  what  the  commerce  of  the  world  demands  and 
will  have  through  the  narrowest  part  of  the  Isthmus,  in  order 
that  all  classes  of  vessels  may  pass  cheaply,  on  an  even  keel, 
in  a  few  hours  instead  of  days,  cost  what  it  may. 

In  view  of  the  vast  and  rapid  accumulations  of  wTealth  among 
civilized  nations,  and  the  expenditure  of  three  thousand  millions 
of  dollars  in  building  80,000  miles  of  railroads,  which  traverse 
our  country  in  every  direction,  crossing  great  rivers  on  bridges 
of  enormous  span,  and  climbing  bold  mountains  where  a  few 
years  ago  travelers  hardly  dare  venture,  hauling  the  fruits  of  in¬ 
dustry  thousands  of  miles  over  hills,  valleys,  and  through  tun¬ 
nels  from  one  locality  to  another — and  in  view  of  other  great 
engineering  works  of  utility  and  strength,  in  this  country  and 
Europe,  too  numerous  to  mention — how  can  we  doubt  the  feasi¬ 
bility  of  making  a  thorough  cut,  without  locks ,  through  the  Isth¬ 
mus,  and  thus  breaking  down  the  stupendous  barrier  of  the 
Cordilleras,  relieve  the  commerce  of  the  world,  even  if  it  should 
cost  two  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dollars  ? 

The  State  of  Hew  York  alone  has  spent  in  public  improve¬ 
ments  more  than  that  sum ;  but,  as  the  citizens  of  all  nations 
are  invited  to  join  in  the  work,  the  money-markets  of  the  world 
will  be  thrown  open  to  the  company  for  the  subscription  and 
sale  of  its  stock  and  bonds. 

The  advantages  of  a  short  sea-level  canal,  with  good  natural 
harbors  and  facility,  economy,  and  speed  in  passing  large  ships, 
and  the  very  much  less  cost  of  maintenance,  are  so  great,  it 
would  prove  a  great  misfortune  to  build  a  canal  via  any  long 
route,  encumbered  with  bad  harbors,  requiring  continual  im 
provements  to  keep  open  numerous  dams  and  eighteen  to  twen¬ 
ty  locks,  in  constant  danger  of  being  destroyed  by  floods,  earth¬ 
quakes,  and  uncontrollable  ships  in  breaking  through  them. 

A  canal  by  the  Nicaragua  route  would  doubtless  accommo¬ 
date  the  small  classes  of  vessels  engaged  in  our  coasting  trade,  if 
the  tolls  were  not  too  high ;  but  for  the  vast  commerce  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  where  steamships  are  destined  to  achieve  their 
greatest  triumphs,  it  would  prove  inadequate  to  the  wants  of 
traffic  carried  on  in  large  vessels,  the  size  of  which  is  being  in¬ 
creased  yearly. 

A  short  sea-level  canal  is  certain  to  be  constructed ;  hence  the 


52 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


Nicaragua  Canal,  if  built,  will  become  worthless,  and  remain  a 
decaying  monument  of  financial  and  engineering  folly,  as  the 
former,  affording  the  greatest  speed,  safety,  and  economy  for  the 
passage  of  ships,  would  monopolize  the  business. 

As  the  passengers,  mails,  and  light  freights  between  New 
York  and  San  Francisco  will  continue  to  go  by  our  great  con¬ 
tinental  railways,  and  the  distance  from  New  York  to  Grey  town 
and  Aspinwall  being  about  the  same,  and  as  at  least  sixty-five  or 
seventy  per  cent,  of  all  the  Pacific  trade  passes  west  or  south  of 
Panama,  the  Nicaragua  Canal,  even  if  short,  with  good  harbors, 
and  without  locks,  would  present  no  advantages  over  the  Pana¬ 
ma  route  to  American  commerce ;  hence  it  can  not  be  justly 
styled  “  the  American  route  ”  any  more  than  several  others 
which  have  been  surveyed  and  advocated  by  Americans. 

When,  in  1852,  I  first  began  promoting  ship-canal  surveys, 
but  little  or  nothing  of  the  climate,  geology,  geography,  or  bot¬ 
any  of  the  Isthmus  was  known.  The  Tehuantepec  route  had 
been  examined  by  Cramer  and  Williams,  the  Nicaragua  by 
Baily  and  Childs,  and  the  Panama  route  by  Lloyd,  Garella,  Tot¬ 
ten,  and  Trautwine ;  but  all  that  portion  extending  south  and 
east  of  Panama  was  covered  from  sea  to  sea  with  a  deep,  dense 
growth  of  tropical  trees  and  vegetation,  through  which  no  per¬ 
son  had  passed  with  instruments  to  give  anything  like  correct 
information  upon  wThich  to  base  the  possibility  of  a  canal. 

The  Pacific  Ocean  was  supposed  to  remain  the  highest,  and 
if  a  thorough  cut  were  made  through  the  Isthmus  at  Panama 
it  would  flow  into  the  Atlantic,  and  drown  out  New  Orleans 
and  the  West  India  Islands. 

We  had  some  old  Spanish  maps  and  Indian  stories  of  the 
country,  but,  these  proving  worthless,  my  faithful  engineers 
were  obliged  to  pursue  their  trackless  journey  across  rivers, 
through  swamps,  and  over  mountains  densely  covered  with  vege¬ 
tation,  every  foot  of  which  had  to  be  cut  for  the  party  to  ad¬ 
vance,  with  nothing  but  the  compass  and  spirit-level  to  guide 
them,  not  knowing  where,  or  under  what  circumstances,  they 
would  reach  the  Pacific  Ocean,  with  the  fear  and  great  diffi¬ 
culty  of  procuring  supplies  ever  staring  them  in  the  face. 

Guided  by  the  opinions  of  the  illustrious  sage  and  pioneer 
of  all  science,  Baron  von  Humboldt,  who,  having  procured 


ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 


53 


information  from  the  archives  of  Mexico,  Bogota,  and  Madrid, 
urged  more  than  seventy  years  years  ago  the  importance  of 
surveying  the  Atrato  Biver,  and  called  attention  to  what  he 
supposed  to  he  true,  that  in  1788  the  Indians,  under  the  direc¬ 
tion  of  a  priest  residing  at  JSTovita,  had  dug  “  a  small  canoe 
canal”  between  the  head  waters  of  the  Atrato  and  San  Juan 
Bivers,  and  thus  establishing  water  communication  from  sea  to 
sea,  I  resolved  to  make  an  examination  of  that  country. 

The  first  party,  sent  out  in  1852,  was  in  charge  of  Mr.  John 
C.  Trautwine,  the  eminent  Civil  Engineer  of  Philadelphia,  who 
maybe  justly  styled  the  pioneer  surveyor  of  the  Atrato  Tal¬ 
ley.  Entering  the  Gulf  of  Darien,  Mr.  Trautwine  ascended 
the  Atrato  Biver  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles  to  Quibdo,  and 
from  thence  advancing  to  the  Baspadura  Isthmus,  and  finding 
that  the  “  canoe  canal  ”  mentioned  by  Humboldt  was  a  myth, 
he  descended  the  San  Juan  to  the  Pacific,  and  thus  completed 
a  careful  survey  from  ocean  to  ocean,  three  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  in  length.  Betracing  his  steps  to  Quibdo,  he  examined 
several  passes  leading  to  the  Pacific  by  the  Hapipi,  Beaudo, 
Pato  and  other  rivers,  and,  returning  to  Hew  York,  reported 
against  the  route. 

In  1853  I  fitted  out  two  engineering  parties,  and,  placing 
one  in  charge  of  Mr.  Hoali  B.  Porter  and  the  other  in  charge 
of  Colonel  James  C.  Lane,  instructed  them  to  follow  up  Mr. 
Trau twine’s  survey  to  Quibdo,  and  from  thence  examine  other 
passes  leading  to  the  Pacific,  higher  up  or  lower  down  the 
Atrato  at  that  place.  Finding  nothing  in  the  vicinity  of  Quib¬ 
do  at  all  suitable  for  a  canal,  they  returned  home,  and  reported 
accordingly. 

Being  satisfied  that  the  proper  proportions  of  a  ship  canal, 
without  locks ,  could  not  be  found  at  so  high  an  elevation  above 
the  sea,  in  1854  I  sent  out  a  fourth  party  of  engineers  in  charge 
of  Colonel  Lane,  with  instructions  to  ascend  the  Atrato  to  its 
confluence  with  the  Truando,  and  from  thence  level  across  to 
Kelley’s  Inlet,  on  the  Pacific  Ocean.  From  this  survey  I  in¬ 
dulged  the  highest  hopes  of  success ;  but,  on  account  of  fever 
caught  at  Aspinwall  on  the  way  out  to  Carthagena,  the  party 
was  so  much  reduced  and  demoralized  that  Colonel  Lane,  with 
but  one  man  capable  of  doing  duty,  could  only  reach  the  Cor- 


54 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


dilleras  on  the  Atlantic  side,  and,  thns  failing  to  connect  hi& 
lines  with  the  Pacific,  the  survey  proved  a  failure. 

Sufficient  information,  however,  was  obtained  to  induce  me 
in  1855  to  fit  out  and  send  to  the  Atrato  Yalley  a  fifth  expedi¬ 
tion,  which  was  placed  in  charge  of  Captain  William  Kennish, 
an  able  engineer,  with  instructions  to  cross  the  Isthmus  at 
Panama,  and,  sailing  down  the  coast  to  about  6°  57'  32"  north 
latitude,  begin  the  survey  on  the  Pacific  side,  instead  of  the  At¬ 
lantic,  where  all  the  previous  surveys  had  commenced.  Under 
the  intelligent  management  of  Mr.  Kennish  this  examination 
resulted  in  finding  the  first  and  only  feasible  route  without 
lochs ,  gates ,  or  dams  for  a  ship  canal  two  hundred  feet  wide 
and  thirty  feet  deep,  including  a  tunnel  three  miles  through  the 
Cordilleras.  The  distance  from  ocean  to  ocean  was  found  to  be 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  and  the  estimated  cost  of 
the  work  $150,000,000. 

AW  thou  t  giving  more  details  of  the  various  surveys  made 
under  my  direction,  as  they  can  be  found  in  the  reports  of  the 
engineers,  suffice  it  to  say,  as  soon  as  Mr.  Kennish’s  maps  and 
report  of  the  Atrato-Truando  route  were  finished,  I  went  to 
Washington,  and,  calling  on  President  Pierce  and  the  members 
of  his  Cabinet,  requested  a  government  verification  to  indorse 
the  accuracy  of  the  surveys,  and  thus  give  official  character  to 
the  enterprise.  For  the  want  of  an  appropriation  to  defray  the 
expenses,  this  was  declined,  and  I  left  Washington,  after  a 
month’s  stay,  with  Mr.  Pierce  and  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis  most  fa¬ 
vorably  impressed  with  the  feasibility  of  the  project ;  but  Mr. 
Marcy  and  other  members  of  the  Cabinet  considered  the  pos¬ 
sibility  of  building  a  ship  canal  across  the  Isthmus  at  least  two 
hundred  years  in  the  future. 

In  November,  1855,  I  concluded  to  visit  Europe  and  invite 
the  English  and  French  Governments  to  join  the  United  States 
in  making  a  verification  of  the  surveys,  and,  if  possible,  induce 
those  maritime  powers  to  pay  the  interest  upon  the  stock  of  the 
Company  during  the  construction  of  the  canal,  and  guarantee 
its  neutrality  in  peace  and  war,  as  that  seemed  then  the  most 
feasible  plan  for  consummating  so  great  a  work  as  a  ship-passage 
through  the  American  isthmus. 

Peaching  London,  I  proceeded  at  once  to  Berlin  for  the  pur- 


ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 


55 


pose  of  showing  Baron  von  Humboldt  the  first  real  survey  of 
the  Atrato  Valley,  which  he  had  advocated  fifty  years  before. 
The  Baron  was  very  much  pleased  with  my  plans,  and,  on  leav¬ 
ing  Berlin,  wrote  me  a  long  letter  expressing  his  views  upon  the 
subject,  some  of  which  I  will  read,  as  they  seem  so  pertinent  to 
the  occasion  that  has  called  us  together  this  evening :  “  The 
object  to  be  obtained,  in  my  opinion,  is  a  canal  which  will  unite 
the  two  oceans,  without  locks  and  without  a  tunnel.  When  the 
plans  and  sections  can  be  laid  before  the  public,  a  free  and  open 
discussion  will  elucidate  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of 
each  locality,  and  the  execution  of  the  work  will  be  intrusted 
to  engineers  who  have  successfully  distinguished  themselves  in 
similar  enterprises.  The  Canal  Company  will  find  subscribers 
among  those  governments  and  citizens  who,  yielding  to  a  noble 
impulse,  will  take  pride  in  the  idea  of  having  contributed  to  the 
construction  of  a  work  worthy  of  the  intellectual  progress  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  More  than  fifty  years  ago  I  earnestly  ex¬ 
pressed  these  opinions,  and  ever  since  have  incessantly  labored 
in  the  propagation  of  those  geographical  views  which  tend  to 
prove  the  feasibility  of  establishing  commercial  communications, 
either  by  canals,  with  or  without  locks,  or  by  means  of  railroads 
uniting  opposite  coasts  and  rivers  flowing  in  contrary  directions.” 

Returning  to  London,  I  presented  my  plans  to  Lords  Pal¬ 
merston  and  Clarendon,  who,  then  at  the  head  of  the  British 
Ministry,  frankly  expressed  a  willingness  to  join  the  French 
and  American  G-overnments  in  making  the  surveys,  and  aid  in 
building  the  canal. 

While  in  London  I  had  the  plans  presented  and  discussed 
before  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers  and  Royal  Geographi¬ 
cal  Society,  at  meetings  called  for  the  purpose.  These  discus¬ 
sions  lasted  four  evenings,  during  which  the  leading  engineers 
and  scientific  men  of  England  took  a  prominent  part,  as  will  be 
seen  by  referring  to  the  published  reports  of  those  societies  at 
the  time. 

It  was  there  I  first  had  the  pleasure  of  making  the  acquaint¬ 
ance  of  M.  de  Lesseps,  who  was  urging  the  Suez  Canal,  which 
he  successfully  constructed,  and,  thus  having  built  one  lasting 
monument  to  his  memory  on  the  Suez  Isthmus,  is  now  engaged 
in  the  peaceful  and  laudable  undertaking  of  erecting  another  on 


56 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


the  American  Isthmus,  in  which  I  wish  him  godspeed,  as,  to 
use  the  language  of  Humboldt,  he  has  “  successfully  distin¬ 
guished  himself  in  similar  enterprises.” 

From  London  I  proceeded  to  Paris,  and  presented  my  plans 
to  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  who  was  ruling  with  great  sagacity 
one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  enterprising  nations  in  the  world. 
His  Majesty  received  me  cordially,  and,  after  examining  them 
with  great  care,  expressed  a  willingness  to  unite  with  the  Eng¬ 
lish  and  United  States  Governments  in  making  the  survey,  and 
also  urged  the  propriety  and  wisdom  of  the  three  Governments 
building  the  canal,  and  opening  it  free  to  the  commerce  of  all 
nations,  save  a  small  toll,  sufficient  to  keep  it  in  repair. 

In  the  spring  of  1857  I  returned  to  New  York,  fully  con¬ 
vinced  that  the  governments  and  leading  men  of  Europe  took  a 
more  lively  interest  in  the  importance  and  success  of  the  canal 
than  those  of  this  country. 

Congress  in  the  mean  time,  at  my  solicitation,  having  passed 
an  appropriation  to  defray  the  expenses,  I  went  to  Washington, 
and,  calling  on  President  Buchanan,  he  declined  to  invite  the 
English  and  French  Governments  to  join  in  the  survey,  notwith¬ 
standing  that,  while  our  Minister  in  London,  he  strongly  sus¬ 
tained  the  policy  of  making  the  canal  international  in  its  char¬ 
acter. 

Disappointed,  but  not  discouraged,  I  remained  in  Washing¬ 
ton  long  enough  to  show  my  plans  and  maps  of  the  route  to  the 
joint  commission  of  army  and  naval  officers,  who  were  organ¬ 
izing  an  expedition  according  to  the  act  of  Congress  ordering  a 
verification  of  my  Atrato  surveys. 

The  engineering  party  was  placed  in  charge  of  Brigadier- 
General  N.  Michler,  U.  S.  A.,  who,  assisted  by  the  Navy,  made, 
in  1858,  a  thorough  and  exhaustive  examination  of  the  above 
route  from  sea  to  sea,  substantially  confirming  Mr.  Kennish’s 
survey,  as  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  voluminous  and 
complete  report  of  that  able  and  distinguished  officer,  printed 
by  Congress  in  1861. 

In  the  mean  time,  having  become  strongly  impressed  with 
the  good  harbors  and  remarkable  shortness  of  the  San  Bias 
route,  and  the  favorable  opinions  expressed  by  Messrs.  Wheel¬ 
wright  and  Hopkins,  of  England,  of  the  Pacific  portion  they 


ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 


57 


examined,  I  concluded  to  have  it  surveyed;  and,  in  1863, 
assisted  by  two  generous  and  public-spirited  gentlemen,  Mr. 
Cyrus  Butler  and  Luke  T.  Merrill,  of  this  city,  who  furnished 
the  means,  I  sent  out  Mr.  Norman  Rude,  who,  with  native 
assistants,  ran  a  barometrical  line  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
approximate  heights  and  distances  only — it  being  quite  clear  a 
tunnel  would  be  necessary.  This  resulting  favorably,  we  de¬ 
cided  to  have  the  route  regularly  surveyed,  and,  in  1864,  I  sent 
to  the  Isthmus  my  seventh  engineering  party,  which  was  placed 
in  charge  of  Mr.  A.  McDougall,  chief  engineer,  Mr.  C.  A. 
Sweet,  first  assistant,  and  Messrs.  Rude,  Fountain,  and  Fore¬ 
man,  assistant  engineers,  with  instructions  to  run  a  line  of 
levels  and  chains,  in  order  that  no  errors  should  occur  in  the 
measurements  of  any  portion  of  the  route. 

Commencing  on  the  Pacific  side  they  ascended  the  Bayano 
River  to  the  “  great  bend,”  and  from  thence,  via  the  Mamoni, 
crossed  the  mountains  to  within  about  three  miles  of  the  Gulf 
of  San  Bias  on  the  Atlantic,  where  the  party  were  stopped  and 
turned  back  by  the  Indians,  who  then  were  opposed  to  the  in¬ 
trusion  of  strangers.  Sufficient  data,  however,  w^ere  procured  to 
decide  that  the  route  was  only  about  30  miles  long  from  ocean 
to  ocean ;  and  of  this  10  miles  is  the  Bayano  River,  which,  with 
little  improvements,  could  be  made  ship  navigation,  thus  leav¬ 
ing  but  20  miles  for  canalization.  The  20  miles,  however,  in¬ 
cludes  a  tunnel  7  miles  long  as  surveyed  by  my  engineers,  and 
10  miles  long  as  calculated  by  Commander  Selfridge,  who  made 
a  hasty  and  partial  examination  of  the  route  in  the  spring  of 
18T4.  The  harbors  at  both  termini  are  good,  and  the  quantity 
of  materials  to  remove  for  a  canal  125  feet  wide  at  the  waters 
line,  and  28  feet  deep,  is  much  less  than  on  any  sea-level  route 
known ;  besides,  the  longest  slope  of  open  cutting  is  on  the  Pa¬ 
cific,  the  most  free  from  floods,  and  much  the  driest  side  of  the 
Isthmus ;  and  the  canal  located  there ,  through  an  open  plane 
out  of  reach  of  drainage,  I  believe,  would  cost  less  and  remain 
more  permanent  than  anywhere  else.*  Although  long  and 

*  Assuming  the  tunnel  to  be  7  miles  long,  80  feet  wide,  and  125  feet  high  from 
canal  bottom  to  crown  of  the  arch,  and  the  canal  outside  of  the  tunnel  to  be  125 
feet  wide  at  the  water-surface,  and  28  feet  deep,  the  total  quantity  of  material  to 
excavate  would  amount  to  29,389,828  cubic  yards,  of  which  25,543,939  cubic  yards 


58 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


careful  study  of  the  question  has  convinced  me  that  the  San 
Bias  route  is  the  shortest,  cheapest,  and  best,  I  do  not  for  that 
reason  only  urge  it  upon  public  attention  ;  but,  before  deciding 
60  great  a  question  as  the  only  route  for  an  inter-oceanic  canal, 
I  would  strongly  recommend  a  thorough  survey,  in  order  to 
determine  the  possibility  of  shortening  the  tunnel  by  flanking 
the  sugar-loaf-shaped  chain  of  hills  which  cross  the  route  at 
right  angles. 

In  1866  I  went  to  Washington,  and  furnished  the  deeply  la¬ 
mented  Bear  Admiral  C.  H.  Davis,  TJ.  S.  N.,  a  large  amount  of 
engineering  and  commercial  data  to  aid  in  making  his  report, 
called  for  by  Congress,  and  also  assisted  Senator  John  Conness, 
of  California,  in  procuring  appropriations  which  led  to  the  sur¬ 
veys  of  Commander  Selfridge,  Lull,  Collins,  and  Menocal. 

As  Admiral  Davis  took  a  prominent  and  lively  interest  in 
promoting  the  project,  I  take  the  liberty  of  reading  a  letter 
from  that  accomplished  and  distinguished  officer  upon  the  sub¬ 
ject. 

“Washington,  April  6 ,  1866. 

“  Frederick  M.  Kelley : 

“  Dear  Sir  :  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  4th  inst., 
and  am  very  much  obliged  for  your  offer,  and  shall  endeavor  to 
profit  by  it  on  my  way  through  your  city,  as  I  shall  have  occa¬ 
sion  to  go  North  before  my  report  is  completed.  It  is  undoubt¬ 
edly  the  intention  to  ask  Congress  for  the  means  of  making  new 
surveys,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  knowledge  of  which 
you  seem  to  be  already  possessed — that  is,  a  shorter  route  than 
any  made  known  to  the  public.  You  will  observe  that  the  res¬ 
olution  contemplates  the  necessity  for  renewed  examinations. 
Now,  what  I  would  like  to  have  from  you  is,  not  your  own  sur¬ 
veys  to  accompany  my  report,  but  such  suggestions  as  will  ena- 


is  rock,  and  3,846,889  cubic  yards  is  earth  ;  and  thus  the  canal  passing  through  rock 
will  require  no  walling,  to  keep  the  banks  from  falling  in  during  heavy  rains,  and  the 
structure  would  remain  as  durable  as  granite  itself.  Estimating  the  heading  in  the 
tunnel  at  $20  per  cubic  yard,  the  break-down  at  $6  per  cubic  yard,  open-rock  cutting 
at  from  $1.60  to  $2.60,  earth  at  from  50  cents  to  75  cents,  masonry  at  $15  per  cubic 
yard,  concrete  $7  per  yard,  pumping  $2,000,000,  tidal  locks,  and  lining  the  tunnel 
its  entire  length  if  necessary,  the  total  cost  of  the  canal  would  be  $136,020,704,  in^ 
eluding  25  per  cent,  for  contingencies. 


ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 


59 


ble  me,  in  replying  to  that  part  of  the  resolution  which  inquires 
‘whether  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  has  been  satisfactorily  ex¬ 
plored,’  to  guide  or  counsel  the  legislation  of  Congress  in  the 
proper  direction.  I  do  not  intend  or  expect  to  take  part  myself 
in  any  future  explorations  of  the  Isthmus,  but  I  desire,  now 
that  the  opportunity  presents  itself,  to  use  my  humble  efforts  to 
give  a  new  impetus  to  this  noble  project.  A  very  small  frac¬ 
tion  of  the  expenditure  caused  by  the  late  rebellion  would  open 
a  ship  canal  between  the  two  oceans — an  achievement  suited  to 
confer  such  great  benefit  upon  mankind  by  extending  commerce 
and  national  intercourse,  and  thereby  promoting  good  will  and 
peace  on  earth,  that  it  may  almost  be  regarded  as  a  work  per¬ 
formed  in  the  service  of  God. 

“  Y ery  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

“C.  H.  Davis,  Rear  Admiral,  U.  S.  N.” 

During  the  winters  of  1877  and  1878  a  large  party  of 
French  engineers,  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Lucien  1ST.  B.  Wyse, 
made  several  careful  surveys  between  the  Gulf  of  San  Miguel 
and  the  Atlantic  to  find  a  sea-level  route  in  that  locality,  the 
details  of  which  will  be  found  in  the  able  report  of  that  excel¬ 
lent  officer.  He  also  examined  the  Panama  and  other  routes, 
and  among  those  who  suffered  dangers,  hardships,  and  priva¬ 
tions,  to  find  a  pass  through  the  dark,  dense  jungles  of  the 
Isthmus,  where  nothing  disturbs  the  solemn  stillness  but  roar¬ 
ing  waters,  howling  beasts,  and  screeching  birds,  as  the  storms 
sweep  over  the  forests,  his  name,  with  Trautwine,  Totten,  Lane, 
Porter,  Kennish,  Rude,  MoDougall,  Sweet,  Michler,  Reclus, 
Menocal,  Lull,  Collins,  and  Selfridge,  should  be  placed  high  up 
on  the  list  of  “  great  explorers  of  the  Isthmus.” 

blow,  with  all  the  proposed  canal  routes,  extending  from  the 
extreme  Tehuantepec  north  to  the  extreme  Atrato  San  Juan 
south,  partially  or  wholly  examined,  and  the  feasibility  of  each, 
for  locks  and  no  locks,  tunnels  and  no  tunnels,  with  good  and 
bad  harbors,  those  that  were  long  and  short,  for  all  practical 
purposes  sufficiently  determined,  and  the  favorable  combining 
circumstances  of  time,  men,  and  money  having  come  to  begin 
the  great  work,  what  could  have  been  more  just,  wise,  and  libe¬ 
ral  than  calling  the  Paris  Canal  Congress,  in  May  last,  to  dis- 


60 


THE  DE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


cuss  and  decide  the  question  of  route,  having  in  view  the  forci¬ 
ble  and  paramount  considerations,  the  cost  of  the  canal,  and  its 
maintenance,  capacity,  and  permanence,  economy  and  quickness 
in  passing  all  classes  of  ocean  steam  and  sailing  vessels,  without 
regard  to  the  commercial  interests  of  any  particular  nation. 

To  the  Congress  promoters  and  engineers  of  the  various 
routes  were  invited  to  attend,  with  their  maps  and  reports,  and 
take  part  in  the  discussions,  and,  to  add  importance  to  the 
convention,  M.  de  Lesseps  consented  to  act  as  president,  and 
give  the  weight  of  his  experience  and  wisdom  to  its  delibera¬ 
tions. 

To  all  intelligent  persons  it  was  quite  clear  the  contest  be¬ 
tween  the  advocates  of  a  sea-level  canal  and  those  who  urged 
canals  with  locks  would  be  strong  and  earnest,  and  that  M.  de 
Lesseps  would  throw  his  great  influence  in  favor  of  the  former. 

Now,  in  view  of  M.  de  Lesseps  assuming  the  great  respon¬ 
sibility  of  raising  the  necessary  capital  to  build  the  canal,  I  think 
he,  of  all  men,  should  be  consulted,  and  have  the  right  to  decide 
on  which  route  the  stockholders’  money  shall  be  spent,  as  to 
him  especially  they  will  look  for  its  economical  and  judicious 
expenditure. 

Having  constructed  one  sea-level  canal  which  in  every  re¬ 
spect  has  proved  successful,  and  with  two  feasible  sea-level  routes 
in  view,  I  can  not  see  how  he  conscientiously  could  have  done 
otherwise  than  reject  the  long  Nicaragua  route,  encumbered 
with  its  numerous  locks,  dams,  and  bad  harbors. 

Although  invited  by  M.  de  Lesseps,  I  was  unable  to  attend 
the  convention  ;  but  my  maps  were  presented  and  urged  upon 
its  attention  by  the  kindness  of  Lieutenant  Wyse  and  Mr.  Na¬ 
than  Appleton,  of  Boston,  a  gentleman  well  known  for  his  de¬ 
votion  and  untiring  zeal  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  pro¬ 
ject  in  this  country  and  Europe  during  several  years  past.  Had 
I  been  present,  I  would  have  voted  in  favor  of  the  Panama 
route,  with  recommendations  that  the  San  Bias  route  be  sur¬ 
veyed  before  commencing  the  construction  of  the  Canal,  as,  for 
reasons  before  given,  it  may  prove  the  best. 

All  assertions  to  the  contrary,  the  Paris  Congress,  compris¬ 
ing  honest,  able,  and  intelligent  gentlemen  from  nearly  all  civi¬ 
lized  countries,  was  called  and  conducted  in  good  faith,  and  the 


ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 


61 


wisdom  of  its  decision  in  favor  of  a  sea-level  canal  by  a  large 
majority  will  be  indorsed  by  the  sailing  masters,  shipping  mer¬ 
chants,  and  marine-insurance  companies  of  the  world,  as  they, 
after  all,  represent  the  only  class  of  industry  that  will  use  the 
Canal,  and  direct  the  course  it  shall  take  in  quest  of  speed,  safety, 
and  economy. 

During  my  long  twenty-eight  years  of  unceasing  labor  in 
promoting  the  project,  like  all  persons  who  engage  in  great  and 
useful  enterprises,  I  have  been  forced  to  exercise  a  vast  deal  of 
patience  in  overcoming  the  various  obstacles  thrown  across  my 
path,  among  which  is  the  famous  Monroe  doctrine.  But,  not 
discouraged,  I  continued  on,  ever  believing  that  when  the  time 
came  to  organize  a  company,  in  this  country  or  Europe,  to  begin 
the  work  in  earnest,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  actuated 
by  noble  and  generous  impulses,  would  take  pride  in  contribut¬ 
ing  freely  to  its  success,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  one 
half  of  the  benefits  conferred  will  accrue  to  American  com¬ 
merce,  provided,  however,  the  Company  is  honestly  managed 
and  kept  beyond  the  reach  of  the  paralyzing  influences  of  cor¬ 
rupt  politicians,  who  would  swell  the  cost  of  the  canal  to  twice 
the  sum  necessary. 

The  Monroe  doctrine,  substantially  stated,  is  an  official  dec¬ 
laration  that  the  United  States  would  consider  the  attempt  of 
any  European  Government  to  establish  itself,  by  colonization 
or  otherwise,  on  the  Central  American  Isthmus,  and  thus  force 
our  commerce  with  California  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  the 
humiliating  condition  of  passing  the  Isthmus  under  foreign 
guns,  as  a  hostile  and  unfriendly  act,  which  would,  sooner  or 
later,  lead  to  war,  and  hence  should  be  opposed  by  all  Amer¬ 
icans. 

We  have  also  the  celebrated  “  Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty,”  by 
which  the  English  and  United  States  Governments  have  sol¬ 
emnly  bound  themselves  not  to  “  occupy,  fortify,  or  possess  ” 
any  portion  of  Central  America,  thus  preventing  those  two 
Governments  from  acquiring  a  foot  of  land  on  the  Isthmus, 
upon  which  to  float  a  flag  or  mount  a  gun. 

In  order  to  preserve  the  neutrality  of  the  Isthmus,  no  Ameri¬ 
can  citizen  can  object  to  maintaining  the  above  doctrine  and 
treaty ;  but  they  have  no  application  whatever  to  the  great  and 


62 


THE  HE  LESSEPS  BANQUET. 


philanthropic  project  of  M.  de  Lesseps,  as  he  has  again  and  again 
declared  that  the  Canal  will  he  international  in  its-  character,  and 
instead  of  inviting  Government  aid  he  declines  it,  and  thus  pays 
the  highest  respect  to  the  Monroe  doctrine. 

In  addition  to  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  being 
bound  by  treaty  obligations  to  keep  off  the  Isthmus,  the  French 
Government,  to  remove  all  doubts  of  her  policy,  have  promptly 
informed  Mr.  Evarts,  our  Secretary  of  State,  that  France  has 
no  direct  or  indirect  interest  of  any  character  in  M.  de  Lesseps’s 
enterprise,  or  the  company  that  may  be  organized  to  put  it  into 
successful  operation.  This  ought,  and  doubtless  will,  satisfy 
every  candid  and  intelligent  American  that  France,  who  gave 
us  moral  and  material  aid  in  the  dark  and  trying  days  of  the 
Revolution,  remains  true  to  her  traditional  policy  of  maintaining 
friendly  relations  with  the  people  of  this  country,  and  has  no 
disposition  to  interfere  with  the  Monroe  doctrine. 

How  the  act  of  M.  de  Lesseps  or  any  other  person,  without 
government  aid,  going  to  the  Isthmus  and  building  a  ship-canal 
with  laborers,  machinery,  supplies,  and  money  procured  in  all 
accessible  countries,  and  when  finished  dismissing  and  sending 
them  home,  leaving  only  a  few  agents  to  keep  the  works  in 
order,  can  be  construed  into  an  infringement  of  the  Monroe 
doctrine  is  beyond  my  comprehension ;  therefore  I  will  leave 
it  for  others  to  explain,  who  may  understand  the  subject  better. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  United  States  of  Co¬ 
lombia,  a  free  and  independent  state,  have  generously  given,  by 
virtue  of  a  valid  concession,  the  exclusive  right  to  build  a  canal 
through  her  undisputed  territory,  and  so  long  as  M.  de  Lesseps, 
or  the  company  that  may  be  organized,  continues  without  gov¬ 
ernment  aid,  the  United  States  have  no  moral  or  legal  right  to 
interfere  with  the  prosecution  of  the  work ;  and,  were  they  to 
do  so,  it  is  my  solemn  conviction  that  the  chief  maritime  powers 
of  Europe  would  justly  unite  to  protect  the  company  in  build¬ 
ing  the  canal,  as  their  commerce  is  fully  equal  to  if  not  more 
largely  and  deeply  interested  in  its  completion  than  ours. 

Since  the  wise  decision  of  the  Paris  Congress  in  favor  of  a 
short  sea-level  canal,  I  have  noticed  with  pain  and  regret  the 
efforts  of  rival  promoters  to  throw  discredit  upon  the  integrity 
of  the  Congress,  and  prejudice  public  sentiment  in  this  country 


ADDRESS  OF  FREDERICK  M.  KELLEY. 


63 


against  the  Panama  Canal ;  but  it  is  gratifying  to  see  that  the 
plain,  practical  common  sense  of  the  American  people,  who  be¬ 
lieve  in  cheap  and  rapid  transits,  are  looking  more  seriously  into 
the  question,  and,  I  believe,  will  give  it  their  support. 

The  United  States,  occupying  a  commanding  position  and 
standing  in  the  front  rank  of  civilized  nations,  can  well  afford 
to  aid  and  look  with  feelings  of  pride  and  confidence  in  the 
execution  of  a  work  which  will  greatly  increase  the  mechanical, 
agricultural,  and  commercial  interests  of  our  country,  from 
Maine  to  Texas,  even  if  the  company  is  organized  in  Paris  under 
French  laws,  which  carefully  protect  the  rights  of  stockhold¬ 
ers,  and  rigidly  holds  the  conduct  of  its  officers  and  agents  to 
the  strictest  accountability. 

The  canal  company,  enjoying  a  monopoly  of  the  ocean  trade, 
with  its  neutrality  guaranteed  by  the  great  powers,  will  become 
the  most  safe,  reliable,  and  best-paying  stock  in  the  world. 

Wars  may  follow  wars,  shaking  the  earth  with  the  mighty 
tread  of  desolating  armies  ;  republics,  kingdoms,  and  empires 
may  fall,  overturning  the  foundations  of  social,  religious,  and 
political  order  ;  pestilences,  famines,  and  earthquakes  may  carry 
destruction  and  death  to  the  hearts  and  homes  of  our  fellow 
men ;  but  the  Canal,  from  its  isolated  position,  will  remain  un¬ 
disturbed  and  continue  to  pass  quickly  and  safely  between  the 
two  oceans  the  commerce  of  all  nations,  and,  giving  joy  to 
weather-beaten  sailors,  they  will  make  the  Cordilleras  ring 
with  songs  of  triumph  at  being  able  to  abandon  the  long  and 
stormy  Cape  routes  for  ever. 


